Blood of the Innocents
by Kumoashi
Summary: AU. What if Cloud didn't go to Midgar? What if Hojo kept him in the Nibelheim lab, and woke Vincent to keep the blond company? Finished story, R&R! :D
1. Default Chapter

**Blood of the Innocents.**

As of 7.6.8 I am reuploading the chapters as they were originally written, but with editing again, and some spacing between change of scenes and stuff, since those have apparently disappeared.

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Legal stuff: I own nothing. Not even a life. But I hear that it's overrated anyway.

AU story. English be not my first language, so there may be mistakes. I'm not actually sure yet what's going to become of this story, but there will be angsting, strange humor and Zax. I like Zax. Probably boy love later on. And I'd also like to kick Hojo's butt. So, read away, and please leave a review!

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**Prologue: It must be Monday...**

**-**

How long had it been? How long since his sweet Lucretia... Hojo, the bastard...

There was no time in his sleep, he might as well have slept one long night or for fifty years, it was all the same to him. There was no day, no night, only the eternal darkness and the dreams that filled it. Dreams of her, beautiful Lucretia, of him, the sick scientist Hojo, and of what he'd done to her. The worst part was that she had accepted it, had given herself to Hojo and to his experiments, all for the sake of science. He had tried to stop her, begged her to reconsider, but she had not listened to him. After all, he was only a Turk, what did he know of science? What did he know about the chance to make history, to be a part in one of the most important experiments in decades?

Nothing. But he had loved her. Still did.

"Well now... I thought I'd never see the day... but here it is. Wake up, Turk, I have use for you."

The voice, the light, they pierced his sleep and consciousness, bringing him back to reality. The fact that the voice belonged to the man he couldn't have loathed more did not make the awakening any happier. He tried to open his eyes, but the light was too bright, almost blinding. His head felt as if it was filled with cotton, and there was the horrible tingling sensation all around his body, when blood started to flow faster in almost dry veins. There was a quiet noise somewhere, like someone whispering into the wind. No matter how hard he tried he couldn't hear the words, and somehow it seemed that the voice was inside his head.

Someone was fumbling with the cloth around his neck, then cold fingers touched the even colder skin of his throat and neck, and a collar of iron was locked around them. He forced his eyes open now, even though he couldn't see a thing through the tears of pain.

A shadow moved in front of the light, and seeing became a lot easier. He squinted at the shadow and snarled as he recognized the scientist. "Hojo."

A chuckle. "Now now, Vincent. Try to behave. Now get up, I don't have all day."

He didn't want to obey but found his body didn't agree with the mind. He sat up and 'My hand! What is this thing?' got out of the coffin to stand up in front of the skinny man, who had backed away a few steps and now stared at him, rubbing his hands together. "Hojo, what have you done to me?" His throat was sore and dry, voice hoarse, but he managed the quiet words. The scientist chuckled again.

"Complain, complain, complain. That's all you specimens ever do. I make your bodies stronger and healthier but all you ever do is complain. Bah. You are all the same..." He turned around and motioned for the Turk to follow. Again, Vincent's body followed orders his mind didn't give. It did, however, give him a chance to have a good look at himself.

The blue uniform of the Turks was gone, but Vincent couldn't honestly remember when he'd last seen it. It was sometime before Hojo had started experimenting on him. He couldn't remember what the scientist had done to his left arm, which was now either covered or replaced with a gold-tinted claw. He couldn't feel his arm, but he couldn't feel much of the rest of his body either, so he couldn't say if the hand was inside the claw.

Last he remembered his hair had been cut neatly to shoulder length; now it flowed in unruly, raven bangs to his elbows. Someone had tied it with a blood red bandana that covered his forehead and kept it from falling in his eyes. Looking down he realized that he had a cape. A red cape. Over black clothes. His steel-covered boots make clicking sounds on the stone floor. Vincent even forgot the fact that he didn't seem to have any control over his body, as he looked curiously around for a mirror. 'What has happened to me?'

He looked at the man walking in front of him. Hojo seemed much the way he had been last time, a skinny, greasy-haired rat with glasses. There was no way to tell by looking at the man how much time had passed. The walls, the building around him, if they still were in Nibelheim's mansion, had not changed either.

"How long have I slept?" He asked quietly. Hojo cocked his head, having obviously heard the words, but only chuckled. "How long, Hojo? How long has it been since you murdered Lucretia?" His trembling voice broke slightly on her name, but it did make Hojo stop and turn to glare at him with an annoying smirk on his face. He waved a hand and Vincent's body stopped just before bumping into the man.

"Does it really matter? No time in the world will bring her back, dear boy." He turned again and motioned for Vincent to follow. Waving his left hand, finger pointing to the ceiling, the scientist continued. "And I did not _murder_ her, no no, she offered her body to the use of science! And what we accomplished, my, it is something glorious! Very stubborn of late, but glorious."

"The child..." Vincent muttered, remembering the project the scientists had been working on. Lucretia had had a baby. Hojo's baby. Still, he had hoped that it might have been his. Until Hojo had told him, during one of their experimenting sessions, just what he'd done to the baby, before it had even been born.

"I've injected the child with Mako and Jenova-cells... the same thing you're getting, Turk. Aren't you the lucky one, hmm?" Mako and Jenova... how had they changed his body? What had they done to the poor child? What kind of a monster had Hojo created?

He was pulled out of his thoughts by Hojo's command to stop. The scientist punched a long code to a security pad hidden in the wall, and a door slid open, revealing a dark room illuminated only with a green glow. "Come in, Turk. The place has changed a bit since you were last here, but I think you should be able to recognize it."

Unfortunately, he did. The laboratory had not changed that much. It brought back a lot of memories, none of them good ones. Memories of needles, scalpels, strange liquids and all the different flavours of pain. It all came back to him, attacked his mind all at once, leaving Vincent Valentine hopeless and utterly depressed.


	2. Chapter One

People belong to Squaresoft, like you didn't know... I'm just doing this for fun, and I own nothing. AU.

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**Chapter one: Share my misery, why don't you?**

**-**

Once the scientist got back to his own kingdom, he seemed to completely forget Vincent. The Turk sighed and leaned against the door that had closed behind him. He was relieved to find that he had some control over his body, at least when Hojo wasn't paying attention. He lifted the claw close to his face, turning it this way and that, clutching the pointed claws into a fist. That caused him some pain, so he figured that there was at least something of his hand inside it. But he couldn't find any opening in the metal thing, no way to get it off. Curiously he lifted the sleeve of the black shirt up a bit, to reveal skin above elbow and the end of the metal. Vincent hissed and moaned, when instead of pale skin his eyes met black scales.

'A monster. I'm a monster...'

He quickly covered the scales and lifted the claw back up, to use it as a mirror. It turned his pale skin yellowish and twisted his features, but Vincent could see that his face was still as he remembered it. 'At least I'm not completely scaled,' he thought, slightly relieved. His right hand was still human, pale and uncovered from elbow down, except for a fingerless glove. He made a fist, hand missing the feeling of his trusted gun in its grasp. _He_ missed it. Hojo seemed completely oblivious to the outside world, all it would take was one bullet... or maybe ten, just to make sure.

The human hand rose to his neck, almost without thinking, and found the cold, iron collar. Perhaps that was what Hojo used to control him. Or then the scientist had programmed him this way. Frustrated, he pulled at the collar and banged his head to the door with a groan when he couldn't find whatever it was that locked the thing around his neck. It was a perfect circle, no ending, no beginning, just cold iron. A sign of the slave.

The voice was still whispering in his mind, although it grew silent every now and then. He couldn't make out the words or the tone of the voice, but it seemed familiar, as if the speaker was someone he'd know all his life.

With a sigh Vincent let his hands fall to his sides and lifted his head to look around the room. He could remember all the machines and tables, and the tubes for Mako. One was now full of the liquid and glowing. He glanced at it only briefly, but the sharp eyes soon returned to the cylinder. It wasn't just full, there was someone in it.

Seeing that Hojo was still busy with whatever he was doing, the Turk pushed himself off the door and walked quietly to the glowing tube. The liquid was thick and bubbly, but the body inside was close enough to the glass that he could easily make out its form, and facial features. With a frown, Vincent stepped even closer and lifted his human hand to touch the glass.

It was a boy, a young boy, his body short and lithe. He floated in the liquid, limp and asleep, or at least his eyes were closed, Vincent couldn't say if the boy dreamed or was comatose. Hands with long, slender fingers were slightly raised, and the tips of the fingers touched the glass every now and then, as the body moved slightly in the liquid. Different coloured wires came down from the cylinder's ceiling and ended behind the boy's back, probably going into his body.

He couldn't say what colour the boy's soft hair was, but it looked yellowish. It flowed freely all around his head, creating an illusion of both a halo and Medusa's head. There were some longer hairs in the neck, a ponytail that twisted like a snake. Face was thin and pale, closed eyes had sunk deep into their holes. The tip of the boys nose was slightly uptilted, and his mouth was small, thin lips parted. Was this Lucretia's child? The son she had died giving birth to?

"Ah, you've met." Hojo's slithery voice broke his concentration. Vincent turned to look at the man with contempt as the scientist came to stand beside him. The man adjusted his glasses and looked up at the boy's face. "Valentine, this is specimen C. He is the reason I woke you."

"Is he... Lucretia's son?" He had to ask, even though he hoped that it wasn't. He couldn't stand the thought of his dear Lucretia's only child as the subject of Hojo's sick experiments.

He didn't expect Hojo's reaction. The man burst into laughter that sounded as slimy as his speech.

"This? Lucretia's son? My most successful experiment?" Vincent glared at the man and tried to lift his claw to run it through the scientist's thin throat. "That was a good one. No, this is just a simple boy from the village. Stupid enough to wander around the mansion. He found this place, and... well, I couldn't just let him leave after that, could I?" Hojo chuckled again and crossed his arms behind his back. "The mother was told that the boy was lost in the mountains... he's just a simple peasant, NOTHING compared to my Sephiroth. But still, an interesting specimen."

Sephiroth? Was that the name of Lucretia's son? Vincent was relieved that this wasn't him, although the relief made him feel guilty. No one deserved to become one of Hojo's projects.

"Where is your precious Sephiroth, then?" He asked, eyes fixed again on the young boy's face.

"In Midgar. He's the greatest general of all time, in the Shin-Ra army. Not bad, considering he's just 25 years old."

'...so if Sephiroth is hers, I've slept for... 25 years. Gods.' The thought made Vincent shake his head sadly. 'Two and a half decades. And I still haven't forgiven myself for not helping her. For letting her die.'

Hojo raised his hand and knocked on the glass sharply. That woke Vincent from his thoughts and the boy from his sleep. The Turk lifted his head just in time to see two brightly glowing, sapphire eyes open. The boy let out a groan that was muffled by the Mako as he saw the scientist. He pushed himself away from the glass, to the other side of the cylinder, so that the thick liquid almost hid him from the men. Still, the eyes glowed slightly, even through the green.

"Specimen C. It's almost feeding time. Then you'll get to meet your new teacher."

Vincent turned to stare at Hojo curiously. "Teacher?"

"Yes. If the boy is to be of use to anyone, he needs to learn to fight, to kill. You'll teach him the basics, that should be something you can do." The scientist walked around the cylinder and came to face Vincent again. "Besides, I can't be here all of the time, I am needed in Midgar. You'll keep an eye on the specimen, teach it even while I'm not here." With that, Hojo walked to the close by computer terminal and started the Mako drain.

Vincent turned back to the cylinder and saw the boy who had floated close to him and stared straight back with an expressionless face. The Mako drained slowly away from the tube, but the boy kept his eyes locked on Vincent's, even when his wet hair glued itself to his face and neck. Only when his head was completely out of the liquid and he was forced to breathe air again did he close his eyes. Vincent watched with something like pity when the boy coughed and coughed until all of the green liquid had left his lungs. The tank was almost empty by then, and the blond fell to his knees, breathing hard. The Turk took a step back and grimaced when he saw that the tubes did indeed go into the boy's back. He was then pushed away as two laboratory assistants stepped to the cylinder, opened it with a password and began to unplug the boy. Vincent could only watch the process with horrid fascination.

One of the assistants gave the boy a towel, and he dried himself with shaky hands. He was then given a large, white shirt, but was not let out of the cylinder. The other assistant closed the door, and they both left the room, probably to get the boy's promised food. Vincent stepped closer again, looking at the boy. His blond, yellowish hair was now towel dry and a few spikes had stood up to point in different directions. The glowing, blue eyes stared straight back at him, pale face still expressionless.

Soon an assistant came back with a tray of food, and opened the door long enough to give it to the boy. Vincent watched as he ate hungrily, blue eyes still looking at him from time to time. He then turned to Hojo who came to stand next to the tank. That made the boy move away. Hojo just chuckled and turned his attention to the Turk.

"I will leave early tomorrow morning, but I will keep an eye on you through my assistants. And don't get your hopes up, I can still control you, even if I am on the other continent. The boy will be let out occasionally, I suggest that you spend that time teaching him." The scientist nodded to the boy and left, leaving by the same door his assistants had used. Vincent watched him go and sighed. It didn't take long before a man came in and stood next to the tank until the boy had finished his eating. He then took the tray and left, leaving the two prisoners alone.

The room was almost completely dark now, when the Mako no longer lit it up. The only sources of light were the computer screens and the boy's blue eyes. Vincent sat down on the cold stone floor and dropped his head to his hands. The sudden silence made the whispers in his head sound louder, but still not comprehensible. "This... is just perfect..." he muttered and sighed, claw feeling ice cold against his skin.

"At least you're on the outside..." came a quiet voice. Vincent lifted his head and stared at the boy. He had moved next to the glass, as close to the other man as he could, and his palms were pressed against the mako-stained glass. Blue eyes were begging him to open the door, although the boy must have realized that Vincent couldn't do it. The Turk sighed again and moved to sit closer to the tank. "I'm sorry... are you alright?"

The boy shrugged and managed a small smile. "I've been worse, and better. Nothing hurts... much."

"I don't suppose specimen C is your real name?" Vincent said quietly. The boy shook his head and his smile widened. 'I'm probably the first one here who even bothered to ask his name...' the man thought and learned to hate Hojo some more.

"I'm Cloud. Cloud Strife. Who are you?"

"My name is Vincent Valentine. Nice to meet you, Cloud, even though it would be nicer to meet somewhere else."

Cloud chuckled quietly and moved even closer. "Yeah."

"How long have you been here? As Hojo's... guest?"

"I'm... not sure. It's been a year, at least. Maybe more. It's kinda hard to tell, there's no sunlight, and I haven't been... awake all of the time. He... Hojo has kept me asleep."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Cloud." Vincent murmured and looked down at his hands. For some reason, they looked reddish. He looked up to see if there was a red light above, but the ceiling was completely dark. So were the walls.

"What's wrong?" Cloud asked quietly, noticing his confusion. Vincent looked up at him.

"I don't know. When I looked down, my hands seemed red, but there isn't a red light or anything." He couldn't understand why his words made Cloud laugh quietly. "What is it?" The boy just pointed at his face, and the Turk lifted his hand to touch it.

"Your eyes. It takes a while to get used to it..." Cloud explained. Vincent frowned and brought his hand close to his eyes. It bathed in red again.

"But..."

"Your eyes glow, Vincent. Like mine, but red. It's the Mako..."

"My eyes... glow..." He just stared at his hand for a while, until Cloud yawned. The Turk lowered his hand and turned back to the boy, noticing that he was shivering slightly. "Are you cold?"

"A bit. Umh, if you don't mind, I'm going to get some sleep..." Cloud said and curled up on the crated floor of the tank. Vincent nodded and leaned his back against the glass. "I don't mind. I'd give you my cape if the door were open for me to do so..."

"Thanks, Vincent."

They were both silent for a while, and Vincent thought that the boy had fallen asleep already, when he heard the quiet whisper. "Vincent?"

"Hmm?"

"Promise me... that you won't leave while I sleep..." The voice was quiet and drowsy and afraid. Vincent closed his eyes and turned his head so that his cheek touched the cold glass.

"I promise. I'm not going anywhere." The Turk whispered.

He waited for a few minutes, until he was sure that Cloud slept, and then stood up. Walking around the laboratory Vincent saw that it really hadn't changed much, there were a few new machines and computers but that was it. They made the room look smaller than he remembered, and more menacing.

/Vincent.../

He turned around, expecting to see Cloud awake, but the boy still slept. Frowning, Vincent backed away to a dark corner, looking around. He could swear he had heard

/Vincent.../

Red eyes went wide and he staggered against the wall. He had heard that. But not with his ears. The voice had been inside his head, and it was her voice. "...Lucretia?"

A voice, like a short laughter, and then his head was quiet again. Vincent realized he was shaking, and closed his eyes. "Lucretia..." So she wasn't completely gone, a part of her was still with him. But was it there to help, or to haunt? With a moan the Turk covered his face with his hands and slid down to sit on the floor.

Her voice had been inside his head, but he was sure that it wasn't the same voice that kept whispering to him all of the time.

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...in your misery, you're not alone, so come share your tears with me, and witness it all go wrong...  
HIM

Like it? Hate it? Worth continuing? Lemme know! .  
Thanks for the first review, and yes, Seph'll get there eventually...


	3. Chapter Two

I owned the can of soup fed to them in one of the scenes, everything else belongs to Squaresoft, which is kinda good, because I don't think I could handle the responsibility...

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**Chapter two: What we did to deserve this...**

**-**

"_Show me the way,  
They say safety in numbers,  
I lift up my eyes to the sky,  
And imagine a crowd of hearts that surround me,  
And give me the courage to die_...

"_Were you to weep,  
And lie soft at my feet,  
Then you'd wash all my troubles away,  
And imagine the host of angels around me,  
That give me the courage to die_..."

Vincent woke to the soft singing, not realizing at first where he was and who with. It was almost too soon when he remembered what had happened yesterday. Or was it still today? Cloud was right, it was hard to keep track of time here. Maybe he had slept for years again, maybe just ten minutes. The room was as dark as it had been, the only sounds the soft humming of the computers and Cloud.

The Turk pushed himself to a sitting position and turned to look at the boy in the tank. He could remember walking back to it, but not when it had happened. Cloud's eyes were almost closed and he seemed to be far away, humming quietly and absently running fingers through his hair. It now stood up and into every possible direction in stubborn spikes. Vincent almost smiled at the sight.

"Nice song." His soft words made Cloud's eyes pop open, and the boy sat up, smiling shyly.

"Thanks, my mom taught it to me." The smile disappeared and Cloud sighed. "She thinks I'm dead, they told her so. The other villagers didn't like us much, all we had was each other, and now she's all alone..."

"What about your father?"

"He died when I was just a kid."

Vincent moved closer to the tank and leaned his left side against the cool glass. Inside, Cloud moved instinctively closer to him. "How did you..." the Turk wasn't sure how to ask the question, but the boy asked it himself.

"How did I become one of Hojo's projects?" Vincent nodded. "It's kind of a long story..."

"Cloud, I don't think we're going anywhere anytime soon..." His wry words made Cloud smile, even though they were the last words someone in his situation needed to hear.

"I guess you're right." The boy crossed his legs and leaned forward, bringing his face close to Vincent's. "Like I said, the villagers don't like us much... all the other kids just bullied me all of the time. So I was alone a lot. Dad had left me a sword, and I learned to use it when I was eleven, and I'd take it along when I went up to the mountains, just to walk or to fight monsters." His face twisted into a sad sneer. "Even when I was killing monsters to keep everyone safe, they didn't like me. But they didn't dare to bully me anymore. Well, not alone, at least.

"One day I was chasing a monster that ran towards Nibelheim... it went inside the mansion, and I followed it. I'd never been in there before, but I had to get the monster, or it would have wandered into the village sooner or later. I heard it upstairs, and found it in one of the rooms. I killed it, it fell against a wall, and..." Cloud shrugged and looked up. Vincent stared at him, listening intently to the quiet voice. "...it opened some kind of a hidden passage. I should have left then, mom always said that nothing good ever comes from the mansion, but I got curious.

"There was a long stairwell, and when I looked down I saw a light. Some of the stairs were broken but I could still get down easy, and quiet. You have to learn to walk quietly when hunting monsters.

"When I got closer to the bottom, I started to hear voices. I almost went back up, but figured that I could hide from them." Vincent was nodding, he remembered the places Cloud described, and could imagine the boy sneaking around.

"There was a cave at the bottom, but no one in sight. I could still hear the voices, and followed them to a library." Now the boy shuddered and wrapped his arms around himself.

"Hojo was there, with some of his goons. They didn't see me, or hear me, I'm sure of that, but I heard them, talking about the 'experiments in the reactor'. I couldn't understand much of it, and figured that I'd better leave before they caught me, and... well, then they did. One of the goons came from behind me and he was so quiet that I didn't even know he was there until he grabbed my sword. I must have screamed, he scared the hell out of me, 'cause then all the goons had their hands on me and Hojo was looking down at me and laughing, making fun and thinking what he should do with 'this spy'." Cloud twisted his face, trying to look like the professor, and lowered his voice to a slithery hiss.

"'My my, what have we here? It's not every day that a new specimen just runs into our arms... take a good look around, kid, it's the last time you'll ever see the outside world.' And then they put me in the tank, this one, and... the experiments started."

Vincent had almost smiled at the imitation, but grew serious again when all hope and joy left Cloud's glowing eyes. He tried to make the boy think something else than the experiments.

"You learned to use a sword and fight when you were eleven... wonder what Hojo wants me to teach you..." Cloud's eyes lit up at that.

"I always wanted to learn how to fight like a Soldier. I was going to leave to Midgar, I would have, but then I ended up here..." he looked around sadly while Vincent shrugged.

"I don't know that much of the Soldier techniques. But I can teach you some things, like how to use a gun." The Turk was surprised when Cloud laughed. "What is it?"

"They don't even give us forks and knives to eat, you think they'll give us weapons?"

Vincent frowned and thought for a second. "You have a point. So it's unarmed combat, then." He looked down, at his claw. He wasn't exactly unarmed, and even if he was unable to raise his hand against Hojo, the goons weren't necessarily protected the same way. The Turk looked up and saw that Cloud was also staring at the claw, probably thinking the same thing. He twitched the fingers, which made Cloud look up. "It's a tempting thought, but... might not work."

"...yeah, if they can control you... could you try, anyway?" the boy whispered after a while. Vincent nodded and leaned against the glass. "Do they come here often? To let you out?"

"Usually for experiments, but if Hojo's not here, they won't do any. And feeding time. But they don't let me out then. Sometimes, if Hojo's happy, he'll let me out for a bit, just to walk around the lab. He never lets me out there." Cloud looked longingly at the door, obviously wishing for a way out.

'Knowing Hojo,' Vincent thought, 'he won't let you out of that door until you're dead or useless to him... same goes for me, too.' His thoughts went to Lucretia as the red eyed man wondered where she had spent the time Hojo had tortured him. The scientist wouldn't have let her far, not with such a fine specimen. She must have been as much a prisoner as he. All the way until Sephiroth's birth and her death, which had set her free.

Drawn from his thought by Cloud's shuffling inside the tank, Vincent turned to look at the boy. Even if he had spent the last year or so down here, maybe he knew something of her son...

"Cloud, have you ever heard of someone called Sephiroth?"

The blond head came up and Cloud looked at him with a raised eyebrow, eyes glittering more than usually. "Are you kidding? Have I heard of Sephiroth?" The Turk nodded, wondering about the reaction.

"You have heard of him?"

"Of course! You'd have to have slept for the past ten years not to have heard of him!" Cloud said with a smile. Vincent decided to ignore the words for now, not feeling like explaining that he indeed had done just that.

"Humor me, please. Could you tell me about him? What he looks like, how he acts... what kind of a person is he?"

Cloud gave him another funny look, wondering if the older man was joking, but shrugged and started to tell what he knew. "Well, he's really tall... I mean, about your height, and he has loooong silver hair, all the way to his hips, and he always looks serious and calm. And he's really pale, and has really bright, green eyes, Mako green, and they glow too."

The boy had talked some earlier, but now he was almost babbling excitedly. Vincent's smile was hidden behind the cape's collar as he studied Cloud's face. Sephiroth must be his idol, he figured, although the interest seemed to be bordering on a case of serious hero worship.

"He's the best Soldier and fighter EVER, which is why Shin-Ra made him general almost ten years ago. He won the war in Wutai, like you don't know, and after that he's just been in Midgar, at the Soldier Academy, which is where I was going to go. Since I was seven, I wanted to be a Soldier, just like him!"

'Forget hero worship, this kid is almost in love with the man!' Vincent thought and his smile grew even wider, while tears threatened to well up. Lucretia's son, how such a woman could have given birth to anything less.

"People say that no one really knows the real Sephiroth, as he keeps to himself a lot, but he's fair and kind, but kinda strict, guess he has to be, he is The General." Cloud finished with another shrug, a smile and a dreamy look in his eyes, but he soon blushed when he saw Vincent's amused expression.

"You seem to respect him very much." The Turk said quietly, to which Cloud nodded.

"Yeah, I do. Me and a lot of people!" His smile faded soon and was replaced with curiosity. "Umm, why did you ask? I mean, about him? Haven't you heard of Sephiroth?"

Vincent was quiet for a while before answering. "No I haven't, not before Hojo mentioned him. But I... knew his mother. A long time ago, before he was born."

Cloud's curiosity doubled and he frowned as he took a closer look at Vincent. "Now you're making fun of me. I'm not that stupid." Red eyes looked up questioningly and Cloud crossed his arms over his chest. "Look at you, you can't be more than 25, and he's way over 20." Then the boy's eyes went wide and he took an even closer look. Vincent didn't move under the scrutiny, thinking about the simplest way to explain.

Cloud gasped and the figurative light bulb appeared over his head. "Oh I get it!" Vincent looked up and raised an eyebrow. "Now I know why you looked so familiar! You look just like him!"

"Like who?"

"You're his brother or something, aren't you? You knew his mom that way!"

The rest of Cloud's excited babble didn't make its way to Vincent's ears, as the phrase 'You look just like him!' rang in them again and again. 'You look just like him!' Had...

Had HE, Vincent Valentine, fathered Lucretia's child? Was Sephiroth his son? Had Hojo ran his sick experiments on HIS SON?! Could it be possible?

"Vincent?" The quiet question finally reached his ears.

"Sorry, Cloud... I look... like Sephiroth?"

The boy nodded, lifting a shaking hand to the glass, to point. "Yeah, you have the same kind of eyes, only different colour. And the same nose. And your hair is similar as well."

"He... he doesn't look like Hojo?"

"_Hojo_?!" Cloud's surprised burst startled Vincent so badly he almost jumped. The boy laughed for a while until a coughing fit interrupted him. "Sephiroth and Hojo look as much alike as a lion and a rat! And you can guess which one's the rat!"

Vincent shook his head, mind running circles around the revelations. Sephiroth's hair, the colour of his eyes... but if he and the General looked so alike...

Cloud's coughing distracted him, and he looked to the pale boy who had curled up on the floor and was shaking rather badly. The Turk frowned and got on his knees, pressing his hands against the glass. "Cloud? Are you alright?" The blond shook his head and looked up when the fit passed, tears streaming from his eyes.

"It's... the Mako... makes me sick... happens ev'ry time..." the words were interrupted by another small fit, and Vincent started to grow very worried when he noticed drops of Mako and blood on Cloud's hands that covered his pale face and red cheeks.

"Do you have a fever?" The Turk asked after Cloud had caught his breath again. The boy lifted a shaky hand to his brow and nodded.

"It'll... pass... in a couple of days..."

"You want me to call one of the assistants?"

"No... they don't do anything... just tell me to... suck it up. Like a Soldier." Cloud was now laying on the crated floor, burning cheek pressed against the cold metal, eyes closed. "It doesn't... feel too bad... this time..." the boy drifted to sleep as soon as he had whispered the last word. Vincent stared at him for a few more minutes, making sure that he could breathe and wasn't in too much pain. Then he turned to lean his back against the glass again, thoughts drifting.

'Sephiroth is my son... mine. Hojo experimented on _my_ child, changed him with Mako and Jenova. Killed the woman I love, destroyed my life...' he felt the rage burning deep inside, and growled. 'Lucretia, I swear... I will avenge you... you and our son!'

Her voice, a soft laugh, rang in his head again, only to fade away, leaving only the whisperings.

Vincent looked around, at the Mako tubes in the lab, and wished he could just shove the scientist into one and allow all his victims to experiment on HIM. Who knew how many people, how many innocents he had captured and abused. 'How many did you kill while I slept, you bastard?'

But his rage was futile. As long as Hojo had control over him, he couldn't attack the scientist, couldn't get revenge. Frustrated, Vincent stood up and walked to the computers. There were quite a few of them, controlling the Mako and the doors and probably everything else in the room. He tried pressing a few buttons, but that just opened a new window on the screen, telling him that he needed a password to proceed. With a low growl, the Turk slammed his fisted claw to the keyboard, loosening a few letters and making the computer bleep loudly for a while. It helped a bit, released some of his anger. Vincent looked up, worried that he had woken Cloud, but the blond still slept, curled into a ball.

The walls were lined with bookshelves, and Vincent was sure that they were full of books concerning the experiments, but what he knew of Hojo, the scientist wouldn't keep his private notes where anyone could read them. So all the worthwhile information must be in his computer files, hidden behind passwords. Sitting down, he tried a few of the words Hojo seemed fond of. "Let's see... 'jenova'."

It didn't work. Neither did Mako, Sephiroth, torture, specimen, Cloud, laboratory, Shin-Ra or science, not even in capitals. "Didn't want to make it easy on me, did you?" Vincent growled and punched in 'imanasshole', just to make himself feel better. It didn't work either, except that the door opened. Vincent whirled around, red eyes large, thinking for a second that he'd managed to open it.

The first goon gave him an angry look. "Get away from there!" The large man ordered and Vincent found his body obeying. The second carried two trays of food and gave one to him before going to open Cloud's tank. The first one kept an eye on the Turk while the second shook the blond awake and just about shoved his face into the bowl of broth.

"Leave him be, he's sick." Vincent hissed.

"Yeah? Well he'll have to eat to get better!" The assistant answered and ordered him to stand still. "Eat your food like a good slave, won't you?" Vincent had no choice but to obey.

Cloud managed to eat some of his food, but after he hadn't taken a bite in five minutes, the goon shrugged and opened the door to take the tray away. "Suit yourself, you know it's all you're gonna get today, specimen C." The boy didn't say anything, just closed his eyes. Vincent had finished his share, surprised at how hungry he had been.

Once the assistants had left, the Turk regained control over his body again, and went to the tank. "Cloud? Are you alright?"

"Hnn, better..." the boy managed after a while and cracked open an eye. "...the food does help... tastes like... sewer water, though..."

Vincent nodded and sat down, back against the glass. "I thought they would have let you out."

"...no, not after eating... later, usually... don't want me... throwing up all over the place... if I get sick..."

Figures... Vincent thought and closed his eyes.

"...Vincent?"

"Yes?"

"Umm... you didn't tell me... how you ended up... down here?"

The Turk opened his eyes slowly and turned to look at the boy. Cloud stared back, blue eyes, now glowing slightly green, only half open. "It isn't a nice story. Are you sure you want to hear?"

"...yeah... don't feel... so alone, if I can... listen to your voice..."

"Very well." Vincent wasn't sure if he wanted to tell the story, but what did it matter anymore? Hojo and his goons could control him, make him do whatever they wanted. It wasn't likely that he and Cloud were getting out of here soon, he'd end up telling the story sooner or later, just to fight boredom.

"It was... years ago, the first time I ever came to Nibelheim, and to this mansion. Not knowing that I wouldn't leave it. I was a Turk back then, sent to babysit some scientists."

"A... Turk? I don't remember... seeing you..." Cloud whispered, frowning. Much didn't happen in little Nibelheim, a Turk and some scientists going into the Mansion would have been talked about for days.

"I think you are too young to remember it, it happened over 25 years ago." Vincent turned to look at the puzzled boy and smiled gently. "You'll understand soon enough.

"Hojo was one of the scientists, and there was a man called Gast. He was truly a genius, and was in charge of the project. And then there was ...Lucretia. She... was the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, I ... I fell in love with her immediately, and she had similar feelings for me, as well. But Hojo...

"I wasn't told too much of their project, only what I needed to know. I didn't even care to know. Foolish, but how could I have known what would happen...

"A child would be born, made better, more superior with Mako and cells from a being called Jenova. I didn't know that Lucretia would be its mother, not until she was already pregnant. She refused to tell me whose it was, although she clearly wanted to. I was angry, mad at her, but mostly at the other scientists. I... I went down to the laboratory, here, and confronted Hojo, who was alone at the time. I demanded to know what was going on, how they had blackmailed Lucretia into doing it. I demanded for the experiment to stop.

"Hojo, he just laughed at me. Laughed, and ... shot me." Vincent stopped talking, just stared at the floor. He could tell from the dim, greenish-blue glow that Cloud was still awake and listening.

"The next months... as far as anyone else knew, I was dead. Hojo was thrilled to tell me what kind of a story he'd made up to explain my death. I had gotten drunk, 'gone berserk', and attacked him, and he had shot me in self-defense. I had no family, no one to miss me but Lucretia, and she was as much a prisoner here as I was.

"But I wasn't dead. Hojo used me as a test subject for some experiments he had in mind." The Turk lifted his claw and turned it around slowly. "He kept playing with me, telling me what was going on in the outside world, how Lucretia's belly was growing... until came the day that the baby was born. I was put to sleep, and I slept until Hojo woke me to teach you. That is my story."

"The... the baby... was Sephiroth, right?" Cloud whispered after a moment. Vincent nodded. "And... and you're his... you're his father... you and Lucretia..."

The Turk's head went down, dark hair hiding his face from the outside world. "It would seem so."

"...damn."

"Yes."

* * *

Spiralling (or Safety in Numbers) by Erasure.

Zax puts his hand on her shoulder, startling the author from her thoughts.  
"Geeze, man! Don't do that!"  
The Soldier leans down so that their noses almost touch, and glowers at her. "You said I'd get a big part in this story!"  
"Umm, so?"  
"Umm, so, second chapter is over and I haven't even been mentioned yet!" He growls out the words.  
The author sweatdrops and grins, shrinking under the glare.  
"Eh heh heh, gee, did ya learn that look from Sephy or something? Zacky darling, you know I loves you, believe me, just as soon as we get the scenes with the two angsters outta the way you'll come in to the picture."  
"That a promise?"  
" 'On my mother's eyes'."  
"Good."  
"Good."  
"Nice to know that I didn't sleep with you for nothing..."  
"...uh, you didn't..."  
"Huh? Ohh, yeah, that was Sephy. My bad. But, pleeze, write me in already, won't ya?!"  
As soon as Zax is out of the door the author turns back to the Ancient (aka computer) and rolls her eyes. "Hmph. Divas. 'Oo, lookit me, I carry a big-ass sword, all the bishies and bishiettes love me, I'm a friggin' Soldier, yada yada yada...'"  
"I HEARD THAT!!"  
"...and if you think HE'S bad, you should see Sephiroth..."


	4. Chapter Three

The characters, places etc belong to Squaresoft, I'm just writing this to avoid doing school stuff. Just... don't tell my teachers...

* * *

**Chapter three: Time doesn't make existing any easier.**

**-**

They didn't speak much for the rest of the day, or what Vincent considered the day, ending when he started nodding off. Cloud had slept most of the time, his fever had broken and the Turk had heard his stomach growling in hunger.

The boy was sitting up inside the tank, leaning against the glass and tapping it nervously with his fingers when Vincent woke from dreams of the past. As it hadn't been bad enough living it once, now he had to see his mistakes all over again, and then wake up to this... with a sigh the older man opened his eyes. "Morning, Cloud."

"Hi Vincent..."

"Feeling better?"

"Yeah... hungry, though. And if I don't get out of here soon I'm going to go crazy..."

Vincent almost smiled but grew serious again when he looked at the boy. Cloud had a strange, pained look in his eyes, like a caged animal. "Cloud?"

"I have to get out... they have to let me out... I... I hate this place, it's too dark here... let me out! Let me out!"

Vincent was startled by the screaming and stood up, taking a few steps back when Cloud suddenly jumped up and started hitting and clawing the smooth glass surface. "Let me out!"

"Cloud! Stop it, you'll hurt yourself!" The Turk ordered, moving so that they could see each other's faces. "Stop! You don't want to give Hojo the satisfaction of breaking you, do you?"

It would have worked for him, and it worked for Cloud. The boy calmed down and just leaned against the glass, breathing heavily and sobbing. Vincent pressed his human hand against Cloud's and his forehead against the glass. "Calm down. We'll get out of here, one way or another. And we'll get Hojo back, believe me."

"...promise?" Cloud whispered, eyes closed. Vincent nodded.

"Yes."

The goons came in later, fed their prisoners, and even let Cloud out to be taught. The boy was first a bit shaky on his legs, but felt better after Vincent lent him his cape to keep warm. That revealed the iron collar around the Turk's neck, and Cloud lifted a shaky hand up to touch it. Vincent fought back the urge to back away from the touch and closed his eyes.

"What's this?"

"Hojo put it on when he woke me. I suppose it's how he controls me."

"Can you get it off?" Cloud now stood on his toes, frowning as he looked at the collar. Vincent opened his eyes and shrugged.

"I haven't found any kind of lock in it. It is a solid ring." The Turk explained. Cloud backed away and pulled the cloak tightly around himself. Frowning, he walked around a bit, trying to keep himself warm. Vincent stood still and just watched the boy. He had tried, had turned the collar around, pulled at it, tried to twist it, searched every millimeter thoroughly with his fingertips, and achieved nothing. He believed the locking mechanism was inside the iron ring, and Hojo was probably the only one with the knowledge of how to open it.

Cloud walked back to the Turk and stopped, looking up at him. "So. What are you going to teach me?"

There were to be no Mako-tests or other experiments while Hojo was gone, so for the next couple of weeks Cloud was let out every day. Vincent didn't waste time but started to teach the boy everything he knew of unarmed combat, and what he could teach of guns without having one at hand. He also made Cloud do some exercises that built up his muscles and body strength, and taught him the basics of meditation and how to use your mind like a weapon. The boy sucked it all in, eager to learn anything and everything. And Vincent felt like he had to teach the boy everything he possibly could before the professor's return. Hojo would meddle with his teachings, that the Turk didn't doubt.

They were both feeling much better, on a psychological level, now that they could actually touch each other to make sure that the other wasn't just a hallucination. They became friends and even made jokes about the scientist and his assistants. Cloud had woken Vincent up a couple of times with his ravings, screaming to be let out, or just crying in his sleep, but that had happened less and less lately. Vincent's depression eased a bit, and even though he still hungered for revenge and just wanted to join Lucretia, life didn't seem as bad as it could have been. He had learned to ignore the strange whisperings, as they still made no sense or hadn't become any louder. Lucretia's voice came and went, but never spoke more than a word or two.

The worst part was knowing that this peace wouldn't last long. Hojo would be back any day, skulking around the lab all of the time, and there wouldn't be a moment's peace.

Then the professor returned, and didn't waste any time in starting the experiments. He kept Vincent in the room during them, forcing the Turk to watch just what he did to Cloud. Having to watch that without being able to do anything was bad enough, but Vincent could so easily imagine Lucretia or Sephiroth, the son he'd never seen, in the boy's place. Screaming, crying, being tortured, just for the sake of science and curiosity.

And it brought back memories.

Hojo would spend a week or two in this laboratory, then return to Midgar for a while, leaving the two prisoners in the care of his assistants. During those breaks Vincent taught Cloud everything he knew, and not just about fighting anymore; he'd been something of a strategic genius, and one of the best trackers, and with the help of a self-made chessboard and tracking the vermin in the lab he was turning Cloud into one as well.

The chess games seemed more like fun than learning, but they helped, and Cloud developed fast, to the Turk's delight. The exercises had strengthened him considerably, so much that he managed to make a crack in his glass prison during one of his ravings. It left him with a few broken fingers, but those healed fast, and the knowledge that the prison wasn't completely unbreakable.

Even though Vincent could barely stand having to watch the sick experiments, he still preferred those to the rare occasions when Hojo would drag Cloud away through the door he and the assistants used. The Turk had no idea what went on during those long hours when he was left alone, but he always feared that the boy wouldn't return. Perhaps it would have been kinder for Cloud if he died, but Vincent didn't want to think about having to stay there alone. But, every time, the goons dragged the unconscious, cut and bruised boy back to the tank. The Turk would ask what had happened, but Cloud never remembered.

Hojo's experiments left them both mentally, and Cloud also physically, in pieces. Sometimes it took the time that the professor was away for them to pull themselves together. But even after Hojo moved the boy to another tank, after noticing the crack, and after the assistants started to keep a closer eye on them Vincent still assured Cloud that one day they'd be free.

* * *

Vincent wasn't sure how much time exactly had passed, but he was sure that it had been several months since Hojo had woken him up. The professor had left them again for a while, and the Turk was wandering around the too familiar laboratory, waiting for Cloud to wake up and for the assistants to come and let the boy out. This time by himself always drove Vincent into deep and dark thoughts, brightened only by the detailed visuals of what he'd do to Hojo if he had the chance.

Sighing, the Turk sat down in front of the computer screens. Back when he had been in Midgar, he had been able to hack into almost any computer in less than ten minutes. Technology had developed during the years of his sleep, but in the last few months he had caught up with it, and was sure that with a little more time he could break into Hojo's files and find out exactly what the scientist had been up to. He had read most of the books Hojo had written, but as he had suspected, all the information wasn't there, only the things that wouldn't discriminate the scientist in any way.

'A little more time... as if I'm ever going to leave here...' Vincent thought, lowering his chin to touch the cold iron. He lifted his hands to hover over the keyboard and frowned. A few weeks ago he had seen Hojo typing his password, only from the corner of his eye, but he had seen the order and the whereabouts of the letters. Now all he had to do was figure it out. There were different passwords and codes to the files themselves, but the Turk was confident that once he was in, there would be no stopping him.

He had learned to use his claw almost as well as if it was a real hand, only that the sharp tips left small holes to the keys if pressed too hard. Hojo didn't mind, though, he seemed to be amused by the fact that Vincent was trying to break into the computers and wasn't succeeding.

The Turk growled at the image of the grinning scientist and punched the keyboard. More determined to find out what was in the files, he started to try out different letter combinations. He had already tried all the words he could imagine with the locations of the keys Hojo had used, and ended up with nothing.

Vincent spent the next two hours meticulously trying every combination possible, and was interrupted by an assistant entering the room. The man didn't even bother to tell him to get away from the computers, just shook his head. "Still at it, slave?" A second assistant came in and gave him a bowl of soup and a piece of bread, and Vincent ate it quickly, watching as the men opened the tank and let Cloud out to eat. The first one left the room but the second waited until they finished and took the bowls with him.

Cloud stretched and yawned, rubbing his eyes when they were alone again. Vincent turned back to the computer and continued. Soon, from the corner of his eye, he saw the boy get up and walk toward the computers.

"Are you sure he hasn't changed the password?" Cloud suggested quietly and sat at the edge of the desk. Vincent shrugged and opened the buckles of his cape with one hand, red eyes still staring at the screen.

"He probably did, but it's a way to pass the time..."

Cloud took the cape and wrapped it around himself, whispering his thanks. Hojo and his goons wouldn't let him have the cape or anything else in the tank, probably for the fear that he'd manage to kill himself with it. Vincent always gave him the cape when he got out, so that the boy would be warm at least for a part of his time.

After watching the Turk quietly for a few minutes, Cloud opened his mouth. "Could you teach me to do that?"

They spent most of the day with the computers, although Vincent told Cloud to do his exercises at one point, and tested the boy about things he'd taught earlier. After a few chess matches and a small snack the goons locked Cloud back in the tank and left the prisoners to sleep.

The blond soon dozed off but Vincent couldn't sleep. For an hour or so he tried, but every time he closed his eyes he saw Lucretia, as if she had been standing or sitting right in front of him. With a sigh the Turk got up and walked back to the computers.

They were on all of the time, and Hojo had decided that the screens should glow with the lovely shade of Mako green. Vincent hated that colour but sat in the chair anyway and started to type again. He was sure that the password wasn't the same anymore, but he couldn't think of a better way to pass his time, knowing that he couldn't attack the assistants, even if he tried to.

Midnight came and went, and still Vincent sat and stared at the screen. He had decided to stop for the night about an hour ago, but always wanted to try one more time. This time it paid off. He didn't even realize it at first, so used to the window blinking red for the wrong password, that the light blue welcoming message blinked on and off for fifteen seconds before the Turk realized he had made it. Sleep left him immediately and he sat up, soon clicking his way into the project files. They were protected with a password but he managed to hack into them through a detour, and soon file after file opened on the screen, blocking out the green light completely. So thrilled at his success that he almost let out a yell, Vincent shook his head to clear it and started to read.

Soon he had browsed through all the files and closed the ones that were of no use or interest to him, and divided the rest into three: Sephiroth, Cloud and Vincent. Or, as Hojo had named them, Specimens S, C and V of Project Jenova. Vincent knew that he wouldn't have time to read them all thoroughly, but he could still learn a lot. He started with Sephiroth, as he was anxious to know what had happened those 25 years ago.

/...don't read it.../

His head came up and Vincent looked around instinctively, although he knew that her voice was just in his head. "Lucretia?"

/...don't.../

The quiet whispers in the back of his head grew in volume, and he could almost make out words. The voice, or maybe there was many as one, was chanting, urging him to do it. It was like a command from Hojo, he couldn't object it, and didn't really want to. "I'm sorry, Lucretia..."

Three hours and numerous revelations later he closed the last of the S-files and leaned back, shaking his head. Hojo had known that Sephiroth was Vincent's, he had known all along. But the scientist had pretended to be the boy's father, and after experimenting on the child for years, beginning before birth, he had given Sephiroth over to president Shin-Ra and his Soldier-program. That had been the first time the boy had ever met someone who didn't work at the laboratory. He had soon risen to the rank of Soldier First Class, and was made General before turning 20. Vincent covered his eyes with his human hand, mourning that Lucretia's son had never had anything like a normal childhood. The woman herself had been reduced to Specimen L, a footnote in one of the files. Those had revealed another one of Hojo's lies... Lucretia hadn't died giving birth to Sephiroth. Almost, but she had survived. The professor hadn't paid any more attention to the woman after that, only noted that she 'was gone'. But did that mean she had died later, or left the mansion?

Woken from his thoughts when the clock on the screen blinked from 4:59 to 5:00, Vincent sat back up and opened the C-files. He looked quickly at the sleeping boy before rubbing his eyes and starting on the first one.

The numbers on the clock were 7:15 and his eyes hurt something awful when Vincent finished the last document concerning Cloud. If Hojo had had a clear goal with Sephiroth, knowing exactly what he wanted to achieve, and managing it, Cloud had been the exact opposite, just a fun project whom to test new, interesting things on. The Turk wasn't a scientist so he couldn't possibly say how much damage the professor had done to the boy, but could guess that a normal life was something that would never happen to the blond. Cloud didn't show it on the outside like he did, with his claw, but Hojo had messed up something profound in him. From the notes Vincent had found that the professor didn't have much idea what would happen either, but was 'most interested to find out', even if it took decades.

"Cloud, I'm so sorry..." the Turk muttered and, with a sigh, started to read what had been done to him. When the assistants came in with their breakfast, two hours later, he was still staring at the screen in shock.

* * *

This had NOT been a good morning. "Really, what was your first clue..." Cloud muttered sarcastically to himself. He was sitting back against the farthest side of the tank, legs pulled against chest and chin resting on the knees. His eyes were still wide with fear, he hadn't managed to keep them closed. His thin body was shaking, and he rocked gently back and forth, trying to think of something else.

Something else than waking up to the assistant's raged shouting. Something else than the shocked look on Vincent's face. Something else than seeing the men drag the Turk up from the chair, beating him all the time. Something else than the splatters of blood, and Vincent's utter silence, the look in his red eyes when he was dragged away from the laboratory.

"No no no, don't leave me alone..." Cloud whispered, covering his head with shaking hands. He hated this, hated the panic attacks, hated being weak like this, but hate wasn't enough to make them go away. "No no no no..." he repeated again and again, pausing only to sob every once in a while. "Vincent please come back, don't leave me alone, don't, no no no no..."

* * *

He'd been as much of a guinea pig as Cloud was now. That hadn't come as much of a surprise, Hojo had told him that he was nothing more than that. The scientist had messed up something deep inside him, as well. That was disturbing, but something he could live with. There were two things that had hit Vincent so badly that he had just frozen to the chair. The assistants had come, they'd dragged him away from the computer, away from the laboratory, away from Cloud. They had beaten him senseless and thrown him into a small, dark, empty room, where there was no sound except for his own breathing and the beats of his heart, no light beside the soft glow of his own eyes.

Nothing to concentrate on but his own thoughts.

Except... were they even his? Hojo had infested his mind, made his head into a playground for four demons who would take control over him if woken. Vincent had been asleep so long, had woken into such a nightmare that he couldn't be sure anymore WHO thought the thoughts in his head. How much of his reality was actually real? How much had the demons made up of it? Hojo's notes had said that he suspected that the entities would have more power over a sleeping person than one who was awake. That had been one reason for the long sleep. Another experiment, to see who would wake up.

Am I still me?

Did Lucretia really love me? Or did she just want my seed?

Did I sleep all of the 25 years, or did one of the demons wander the world as me? Using my body? Do these clothes, this look, belong to one of them? My hand, the claw?

The whispering voice, is it one of them, or me?

What would happen if I'd turn into one now?

Could I escape?

Or does Hojo's collar keep me a prisoner, no matter what or who I am?

That was the other thing, the collar. The locking device was inside the ring, and could only be opened with a remote control, one that Hojo kept in a safe. In Midgar. The professor and his assistants carried small devices that abled them to control him through the collar. As long as he wore it, he was a prisoner. And even if he managed to escape the mansion, he couldn't get far. Unless the collar was reprogrammed or someone with a controlling device was with him, he couldn't leave. The collar would send a signal through all the nerves of his body, freezing them, and him, quite efficiently. He couldn't move.

'I'm a prisoner. Prisoner of my own mind, my own body, this mansion...' Vincent sighed and lifted the sharp claws to the soft skin of his throat. It would be so easy to just push them through the skin, tear open the windpipe, crumple down to a mess of blood and flesh and bone.

/...don't.../

"Lucretia..." the Turk sobbed and shook his head. "I just want to be with you."

/...don't, Vincent.../ Her voice quieted but he could still feel her spirit near. Was it even her, or one of the demons, posing as her?

/Wouldn't you like to know?/ A low, menacing but amused rumble came from deep within him. Vincent screamed, jumped up and started hitting the closest wall

"Leave me alone! LEAVE ME ALONE!" But the voice just grew into a booming laughter that echoed in his mind and filled his head.

* * *

Cloud looked up when the door opened, and moaned in fear when he saw Hojo. The scientist walked to the tank, followed by an assistant. The boy tried to hide from the look Hojo was giving him, one that crawled under his skin.

"When did he last eat?"

"Not a bite since we found the other at the computer. We had to force-feed and plug him in yesterday."

Cloud twitched at the words, still bruised and sick from the treatment. When they hadn't managed to make him eat much, the assistants had connected one of the tubes to his back, feeding him through that. Usually they only used it while the tank was full, which made the procedure less painful.

"Hmm, yes. And the other one?"

"In the dark room. An hour in there, he was already screaming." The assistant smiled at that. Cloud felt his heart go cold. He had been in the dark room once, the experience had been worse than ten experiments. There was no light, no noise, only blackness and whatever clawed its way out of your mind.

"How much did he read of the files?"

"As far as we know, he managed to open everything, but he couldn't have read them all, there wasn't enough time."

"So he just picked out the ones useful to him." Hojo's attention was now fully on the assistant, who wasn't smiling anymore.

"Sir, I don't think he'd know--"

"He was a TURK you moron! It was his JOB to know what's important! Why the hell didn't you idiots keep a closer eye on him?"

"S-sir, we... we didn't think he'd actually manage to hack in, sir, I mean, the password changes automatically every day--"

"And yet he cracked it and read my files!" Hojo growled and turned to look at his prisoner again. "Specimen C. Any suggestions on how we'll punish your curious teacher?"

Cloud shook his head, afraid to look at the professor in the eye.

"Considering his stupid trick made me angry. And when I'm angry, I tend to do things I'd normally not do. Things that are not nice at all."

The boy finally dared to look all the way up, to Hojo's pale face and cruel smile.

* * *

A.N: Ok, I've never hacked into a computer or anything like that, so that bit's probably crap. Not that I'm saying that the rest isn't crap, too... Please, leave a review!

EXTRA:

Hojo opened the tank's door and wandered back to his desk. Cloud stretched, stood up and stepped out of the glass prison. Walking on his toes, rubbing his arms to keep warm, he followed the professor. Standing behind the white-clad man, Cloud cracked his knuckles, put his weight on his left leg and lifted the right one.

-KICK!!-

With a satisfied smirk, the blond boy sat in the corner of the room and pulled out the latest issue of Science Today from the bookshelf while Hojo rubbed his injured -ahem- pride.


	5. Filler

Filler. Sing along time with Vinnie and Cloudy!  
  
  
Warning! This is silly. This is I´ve-been-sitting-in-front-of-the-computer-for-ten-hours -silly. Cloud and Vinnie belong to Square, song to Coolio.   
  
  
  
Angsta´s Paradise  
  
  
Vincent:  
As I walk through the lab of the mad scientist  
I take a look at my life and realise there's nothing left  
Cause I've been sleeping and angsting so long that  
Even Cloudy thinks that my mind is gone  
But I ain´t never crossed a man that did deserve it  
Hojo treatin´ you like a bug, you know that's not unheard of  
You better watch how you talking, and where you walking  
Or you and your homies might be dumped in Mako  
I really hate to trip but I gotta angst  
As they croak I see myself in the pistol smoke ... fools...  
I'm the kinda G that little Turks want to be like  
On my knees in the night, saying prayers in the Mako light  
  
I´ve been spending most my life sleepin´ in an angsta's paradise  
I´ve been spending most my life sleepin´ in an angsta's paradise  
We keep spending most our lives living in an angsta's paradise  
We keep spending most our lives living in an angsta's paradise  
  
Cloud:  
They got the situation, they got me facing  
I can't live a normal life, I was caught by the prof.  
So I gotta be down with the lab goons  
Too much monster huntin´ got me counting tubes  
I'm an educated kid with my sword on my mind  
Got Jenova in my blood and a glow in my eyes  
I'm a spiked out angsta escape seeking specimen   
And my teach´ is a Turk so don´t rouse his anger ... fools  
Death ain´t nothing but an experiment away  
I'm living life do or die, what can I say  
I'm 15 never will I live to see 16  
The way things is going I don't know  
  
Tell me why are they so blind to see  
That the ones they hurt are you and me.  
  
Vincent:  
Jenova and the Mako, Mako and the Jenova  
Minute after minute, hour after hour  
Everybody's running, but half of them ain´t caring  
What's going on in the lab, but I don't know what Hojo´s cooking  
They say I've got to live but nobody's here to love me  
If they can't understand it, how can they reach me  
I guess they can't  
I guess they won't  
I guess they front  
That's why I know my life is out of luck ... fool  
  
Cloud:  
Tell me why are they so blind to see  
That the ones they hurt are you and me.  
  
Together:  
Tell me why are they so blind to see  
That the ones they hurt are you and me.  
  
Vincent:  
I´ve been spending most my life sleepin´ in an angsta's paradise  
I´ve been spending most my life sleepin´ in an angsta's paradise  
  
Together:  
We keep spending most our lives living in an angsta's paradise  
We keep spending most our lives living in an angsta's paradise...  
  
Cloud does the Beavis and Butthead-laugh. "Man, that was so cool..."  
"He he, yeah..." Vincent answers and leans back against a Mako tank. 


	6. Chapter Four

My story made it into someone's favourite-list! Yay! Happy happy joy joy! Thank you, Lovely Lucrecia! . But I still don't own anything or anyone. Square does, the lucky bastards.

Und the blood thickens! ...plot. Plot thickens. Yes.

* * *

**Chapter four: The more the merrier!**

**-**

The experiments had been worse than in a long time. Hojo had just left the room, leaving his goons to throw Cloud back in his tank. The professor had made Vincent stand right next to the operation table for the whole time, but now he was able to relax and move away from the bloody table and instruments of torture.

He didn't know how much time he had spent in the dark room, but it had felt like weeks. After he had been let out Hojo had made him stand and watch how Cloud was tortured for what he, Vincent, had done. It had been almost too much to take, but he felt like it was the least he could do.

What had happened in the dark room... the Turk didn't want to think about it. The first few hours had been the worst, the voice laughing in his mind, mocking him. Somehow he had managed to calm himself down enough to push the voice to the back of his mind, to ignore it as best as he could. Lucretia had spoken up then, whispering calming words, but Vincent had ignored her as well, not knowing whether it was her or the demons.

It had taken its time, but using all the mind controlling tricks he knew, he had managed to ignore everything else and think about the files he had read. Going over and over the facts, again and again, he had come to the conclusion that ignorance had been a bliss. He had wanted to know what Hojo had done, and now that he knew, he wanted nothing more than to forget it all. Still, Vincent had kept thinking about the files, using the information to block out whatever dwelled in his mind.

While the assistants cleaned up the Turk walked noiselessly to the tank, taking his regular place on the floor next to it. Cloud was laying on the floor, too tired and pained to care about the cold and the impression the crate would leave on his skin. Most of his wounds were still bleeding, and his pale skin was black and blue with bruises. The blue eyes were closed, face twisted in pain and breath coming in small gasps.

Vincent sighed, hating himself for not being able to do a thing, and Hojo for being able to do anything. He lifted his human hand, running the fingers over the smooth glass, and whispered calming nonsense. The words didn't matter, as long as the boy knew that he wasn't alone. The Turk was actually humming a song, one of the few love songs he knew. He'd never been one for the mushy, lovey-dovey pop tunes, enjoying classic pieces and songs of tragedy far more.

'Isn't that fitting...' he thought and stopped, realizing that he had forgotten the rest of the song. It had been one of Lucretia's favourites. 'How could I have forgotten it?' Thumping his head softly against the class, Vincent swore and berated himself.

"...don't... do... that..."

"Cloud?" Vincent whirled around, to look at the boy who had opened one eye slightly. "I apologize. Did I wake you?" The boy blinked twice, meaning no.

"Are you in pain?" One blink, yes. Vincent sighed and leaned his forehead to the glass, closing his eyes. He could hear the assistants finish their cleaning and leave the room. They turned the lights off again, leaving the prisoners in the near-darkness of computer screens and a few dim lights.

"He's gone now. Just hang on, Cloud, it'll be a few weeks before he comes back." The Turk whispered, relieved by the thought. Cloud attempted a small smile but gave it up soon. "Hang on."

"...the... files?" The boy whispered after a while. Vincent didn't want to tell, but he knew that the last experiments, the last week and a half, the sheer violence of them was a punishment for reading the files. Cloud deserved to know why he was in such pain. So Vincent told him. Mostly about Sephiroth, for that information couldn't hurt the boy directly. He was a bit more careful about things he'd read about the blond, telling him only that Hojo had used them both as guinea pigs for his curiosity, and that the scientist didn't even know himself what he'd exactly done. He also remembered the fact that had annoyed Hojo much, that professor Gast was apparently still alive somewhere, even though the mad scientist had tried to kill the man. The Turk suspected that Gast might be able to figure out whatever Hojo had done to them. He was surprised that Cloud stayed awake through the whole time, staring at him.

When he finally finished, the blue eyes closed slowly and Cloud let out a long sigh. The boy didn't breath for a while and Vincent feared that he'd just given up.

"When... we get to... kill Hojo... let's do it... slow... real slow..."

Vincent closed his eyes and smiled with relief. "Yes. That we shall do."

* * *

Cloud was out cold the next day when the assistants came into the room. Vincent stood up, wondering what was going on, as they'd already had their meal.

He was ordered to stand still while the assistants opened the tank and dragged Cloud out. "This way." One man carried the boy and the other pushed Vincent out of the laboratory, into the hallway leading to the stairs. The Turk kept looking over his shoulder at Cloud while he was guided to a door. After a moment he realized that it must have been the door to the room he had slept in. The assistant opened the door with a key and ordered Vincent to step in.

"Why are you taking us here?" The Turk asked while the other man just about dropped Cloud into the open coffin in the middle of the room. He gave the boy an injection, checked his pulse and closed the lid.

"Spring cleaning." The assistant at the door said after a moment. Vincent frowned and looked up from the coffin. "What?"

"None of your business." The man said and nodded to the other one, who went to open the other door in the room. Vincent realized that it was through that door that Hojo had taken him to the lab, through a short hallway and the library. His eyes grew wide when the grinning assistant gestured for him to step through. "Move it, Valentine. Stay there until we come and get you. And be quiet, or you'll spend the next few days in the dark room."

His body obeyed, even though his mind was completely against being locked into a corridor with no way out and no light. As if this wouldn't be as bad as the dark room.

"No, don't..." Vincent tried to ask but the door already closed in front of him. Not even daring to breathe, he listened to the footsteps until the assistants had left the coffin room as well, the image of a dead-like Cloud laying in a coffin printed to his mind's eye.

* * *

"Seph? Yo, Seph!" –thunk!- "Oww, shit!" The dark-haired man swore as he peered down the seemingly endless stairwell. Rubbing the back of his head which he'd managed to bump on the frame of the hidden door, he looked back at the nervous trooper before shrugging. "You wait here, Alan, I'll check on the General. Keep an eye out for monsters!" With that, he took a deep breath and stepped into the darkness.

The stairs seemed to go on for ever, but finally his boot touched ground and Zackery Lindeman stopped to take a good look around. He was annoyed to see that his almost clean 1st class uniform was covered in cobwebs and dust. "Damn it, I bet Seph didn't get any of this stuff on his crispy, clean and oh-so-BLACK clothes..." he murmured, wiping the worst away. His long, dark brown mane of hair was in a similar state, but he decided to leave that chore for later. Adjusting the Buster-sword tied to his back, the Soldier decided to follow the dim light ahead of him.

"Seph?" The Soldier called again, coming to a stop in front of a bookshelf. "Here you are! I was starting to get worried, you know..." Zax looked at the taller man and frowned. "Seph?"

It was as if the great General didn't even hear him. Sephiroth just stood there, next to a pile of books, one in his gloved hands, jade eyes fixed on the page, pale brows arched in concentration. Yellow candlelight made the silvery hair glitter and stand out even more against the black fabric of the long coat. Zax wanted to step up to his friend and shake him out of whatever he had, but didn't have the heart to ruin such a beautiful picture. Watching the man, he barely dared to breathe, fearing that any noise would snap Sephiroth from that pose.

'Wait, that's what I WANT to do...' the Soldier reminded himself and stepped closer, lifting one hand to touch his general's arm.

Sephiroth's glowing eyes snapped to him, wide with surprise for a second, but soon just a pair of green slits. "What do you want?"

Zax took a step back, amazed by the ice-cold tone of voice. He was used to it, after all he had known the man for years, and was one of the very few the General thought of as friends. But still, that voice could have frozen the devil's tail. "Oh, uh, well..." he swallowed and rubbed his neck. "I just came to see where the heck you are, Seph. Everything's under control and all, I was just..." he grinned, knowing that it always seemed to make Sephiroth relax. "Just wanted to check up on you."

The General did relax, even lowered his hands a bit. "Zackery. There is no need to worry about me, you know that perfectly well. Now go back to the inn."

"Uhh, if it's all the same with you..." the Soldier looked around and smiled, "I'll just hang here a bit."

"Do as you wish, but do not interrupt me again." Green eyes turned back to the book and Zax sighed. Whatever it was that was bothering Sephiroth was certainly scaring the living daylights out of him. He WAS a Soldier First Class, he WAS the second-in-command to Sephiroth, he WAS the second most powerful man in the whole Shin-Ra army, but this place still made him queasy.

* * *

Vincent lifted his head and opened his eyes. He was sure he'd heard a noise. From outside the door. He sat up sharply, ignoring the whisperings in his head. He hadn't heard a squeak from the demons, or Lucretia, since his release from the dark room, but during the past few days, which he had spent alone in the corridor, the voices had returned. Lucretia's sweet whispers were often drowned under a deep, menacing voice that threatened to drive him insane. It even promised that life would be so much easier if he did lose his mind and give control to the voice.

There it was again. Vincent stood slowly up and felt his way to the door leading to the library. Holding his breath, he pressed his ear to it.

Someone was outside. Kicking the door. Kicking the door and humming. No, singing; out of tune, but singing. He was used to Hojo's assistants shouting or whistling, but they had never sang before.

Raising his claw carefully to the door Vincent knocked on it quietly. The singing stopped, and after a hesitant moment there was a knock from the other side. The Turk knocked again, more urgently, and was answered soon with a muffled 'hello?'

"Can you open the door?" He asked as loudly as he dared. The goons would just have told him to shut up, this could be someone else...

"Uhh, wait a sec, let me see..." came the quiet answer, and he could hear and feel the thumping of a fist. "It's pretty solid. And there's a dodgy looking lock here. Who are you? What's behind the door?"

"A man called Hojo keeps me as a prisoner here."

There was a long pause and Vincent feared that it was just one of the professor's assistants, playing games with him. But then the voice returned.

"Oh, I know him. Sit tight, buddy, I'll get you out!"

The Turk backed away from the door, not daring to believe what had just happened. Were they... were they actually going to get out of here?!

* * *

"Seph!" Zax ran back to the other room of the library, where his General stood next to a glass tank. He had been sure he was hearing things, but then the voice had mentioned Hojo... and anyone who wanted to get away from that man was a friend of his. And he was sure that Sephiroth would agree to that without questions. "Seph! Hey, man, there's a--"

"DON'T interrupt me!" The General exploded, stopping the Soldier dead in his tracks. The dark-haired man was so stunned he backed away and tripped over a high pile of books, falling on them.

"But... but... Seph, just hear me out! There's--"

"Go. Back. To. The. Inn. NOW."

"Seph, please--"

"NOW!!"

Zax got up slowly and brushed the dust from his clothes, trying to save what could be salvaged of his dignity. "Ok. Okay, sour ass, I'll just piss Hojo off on my own." He turned away and grinned, knowing that he wouldn't get farther than two steps.

"...Hojo?"

Turning back, Zax carefully wiped the smile off his face and looked nonchalantly at his fingernails. He knew that Sephiroth could see straight through the act, but this is how the game was played. "Yeah, I was wandering around, found this secret door and stuff... and the guy who Hojo keeps locked up behind it."

"..." Sephiroth gave him a suspicious look.

"Come on, Seph, we gotta let the poor bugger out! Hey, even if it's a monster trying to trick us, we can kill it, no sweat, AND we'll get to see what's behind that frickin' thick door there." Allowing the smile back on his face, Zax leaned forward. "Now tell me you ain't interested. Go ahead."

He almost danced a merry little jig as Sephiroth found a piece of paper for a bookmark and carefully set the book on the top of the latest pile. Pulling his famous Masamune from its sheath, the General walked towards the other room of the library and stopped only to give his friend a questioning look. Zax grinned and ran to him, showing the way.

* * *

Vincent couldn't allow himself to think that they were going to get out, didn't want to get his hopes up. He had resigned to the fact that he would spend the rest of his life in the lab, but he still hoped that Cloud could get out, that the boy would have a chance of a somewhat normal life. Still, he didn't dare to believe that it was actually happening when the voice and knocking came back. The Turk pressed his cheek to the door when he heard the muffled voice again.

"Hey buddy, you there?"

A bit annoyed, Vincent sighed. "I'm a prisoner, where would I go?"

"Sorry. Okay, stand back from the door, or you might get hurt!"

Vincent couldn't hear the rest, the voice was talking to someone else, but he obeyed and stepped back. There was the sound of metal scraping against metal, and he was almost blinded when a tip of a silvery sword pushed its way in, through the barely visible crack between the door and the wall, throwing sparks all around. The sword started to move back and forth, sawing the door open. Astounded, Vincent walked backwards until his back was against the door to the coffin room. "We're actually getting out...?" he muttered and shook his head.

"Yes! Man, you rock!" Vincent heard the cheery exclamation after the sword disappeared back out and the door opened a bit. A soft light streamed in, from a torch that was soon poked in. "Where are you?"

"Here..." The Turk said quietly as a tall, dark-haired man with dark blue clothes and a huge sword stepped in, carrying the light. He squinted and waved his human hand slightly, and the man turned to him.

"Damn this place is creepy! Come on, Seph, you won't believe until you see..."

"Seph..." Vincent whispered and watched, frozen to the spot, as the man stepped into the corridor, followed by a taller one, with black clothes, silver hair and Mako eyes. "...Sephiroth..."

The green eyes turned to him, like the man had heard the whisper Vincent barely heard himself. Sephiroth looked after his friend before walking closer to the Turk, sword still drawn and ready.

The General stopped before Vincent and looked him straight in the eye. After a moment of cool observation, the thin lips parted. "Hojo keeps you here against your will?"

"Hey, who'd be even in the same room with that creep willingly?" The dark-haired man said, sticking out his hand with a grin. "I'm Zax, this is Seph, who're you and who did you kill to be sent here?" The words were meant as a joke but no one else smiled.

"My name is Vincent Valentine." Vincent said quietly, staring at Sephiroth. The General stared back, curiously, perhaps seeing how alike they looked.

Zax frowned as he realized the same thing, but didn't say a word as the stare between the two taller men was so intense he barely dared to breathe. Looking around, in stead of the men, he shuddered and finally opened his mouth. "Okay, Vinnie, now that you're free and all, could we get out of here? Not that I don't like your little cell here, I just... don't like it."

Vincent tore his eyes from Sephiroth and turned to look at the Soldier, nodding. "Yes. This way." He pointed towards the coffin room. Sephiroth and Zax looked at each other.

"This door's already open, and we can get out through it." Zax said, pointing towards the library.

"There's someone else locked up in here. Please, open this door." Vincent said quietly.

Sephiroth told Zax to hold the torch higher, stepped to the door and looked at it up and down. He sheathed his sword, nodded and kicked the door so hard it flew open and almost fell off its hinges. The Soldier blinked a few times and grinned at Vincent. "You do not mess with this man."

"..." Vincent stood still for a second, but after the General stepped into the room he followed. Zax was right behind him, hand on the hilt of his sword.

"This... is a tomb." Sephiroth said quietly, standing by the broken door. The Turk walked straight to the closed coffin and grabbed the lid.

"You're not going to..." Zax asked with a horrified expression but came to stand next to the coffin. "Your friend's not in there, is he?" The General followed them more slowly, eyes roaming around the room. Vincent ignored the Soldier and opened the coffin. Three pairs of eyes landed on the sleeping boy.

"...you've got to be kidding me..." Zax whispered after a very quiet moment. "Who's he?"

"His name is Cloud. Hojo has kept him down here for a few years now. We need to get out."

"...no shit..." Zax muttered. Sephiroth shifted his gaze back to Vincent who leaned down and shook the boy's shoulder gently with his human hand.

"Cloud? Cloud, please wake up. We're leaving." His only reply was a quiet, pained moan. Vincent stood up and opened the small belts holding his cape. "Could one of you carry him?" He showed them his claw, not wanting to explain. Sephiroth nodded to Zax and took the torch. The Soldier took the cape Vincent offered, spread it over Cloud and picked the boy up, cradling him in his arms.

"Damn, he looks sick. What did Hojo do to him?" Zax whispered, looking and sounding concerned.

Vincent shrugged. "Whatever he felt like. Now we have to hurry, before the assistants get here." He took a step towards the door to freedom, but Sephiroth's firm arm on his shoulder stopped the Turk. The General looked at him closely before speaking.

"Valentine... why... how... who are you?"

Zax stared. He wanted to get out, out of the mansion, out of Nibelheim, and fast, but he still had to stop and stare. Sephiroth actually stuttered? This was turning into the strangest trip ever.

Vincent stood quiet for a while before lifting his eyes. "There is no time for this now. But once we get out I promise that I can tell you quite a few things I'm sure Hojo never thought of telling."

Sephiroth nodded and let go, gesturing for them to go out first. They returned through the corridor to the library. He stayed there for a moment longer, and took a good look around.

The place was familiar, in a very uncomfortable way. The same way Nibelheim was. He'd always known that Hojo kept secrets from him, that there was a lot he didn't know. But now, here, he felt like he could almost remember...

"Seph! Ifrit's balls, come ON!" Zax's impatient hiss made the General sigh and shake his head before following the other men. Perhaps Valentine could deliver what he promised.

The corridors were dark, except for the dim light from the library. Zax was leading them, hurrying towards the stairs, the Turk following right behind him. Vincent was concerned, for Cloud, and that the assistants would soon notice their escape, but it wasn't enough to keep down the rush of adrenaline that welled up inside him. They were almost out of Hojo's reach. Even if he couldn't leave the mansion he had met his son... the Turk looked quickly over his shoulder and stopped dead on his tracks when he saw that Sephiroth still stood in the laboratory. "Sephiroth!"

Zax stopped and turned around, careful not to cause Cloud any pain. "What is it?" The Soldier asked, eyes glowing with a soft, violet light. Vincent just returned to the laboratory.

Sephiroth was going through a high pile of books, searching frantically for something and muttering quietly. Vincent stopped for a second before stepping next to the silver-haired man and taking the book from his hands. Ice-green eyes snapped up to his, and a gloved hand went to the hilt of Masamune. "Give it back."

"There is no time. And if it's written by Hojo, you can't trust it. The only thing he's good at is lying. We must hurry." The Turk said with a quiet, calm tone that accepted no objections. Well, at least not from anyone else. Sephiroth crossed his arms over his chest and frowned.

"And are you more trustworthy, Turk? That's who you were, the fabulous Vincent Valentine."

"I can tell you the truth, Sephiroth. Of your mother. And your father. And what Hojo did to them. I was there."

"Come on, Seph, trust him for now, ok? Let's get out, the kid doesn't seem to be doing well." Zax's impatient words interrupted the quiet moment, and the taller men nodded in unison and walked out, leaving the stunned Soldier behind for a second. It had been dark in the corridor, he had thought his eyes had tricked him, but now he saw it again. Sephiroth and Vincent were almost identical. "What the hell?" Zax asked quietly and looked at Cloud's face. Getting no answer there, he turned and half ran to catch up with the others at the bottom of the stairs.

"Here, take this." The General said and gave Vincent a fire materia. The Turk looked at it and raised one eyebrow. "Just in case."

"Yeah, there are a lot of monsters around, and if someone follows us..." Zax muttered and looked back. Vincent shrugged and took the small orb, putting it to a slot on his wristband.

"Zackery, you after me, Valentine, you last." Sephiroth ordered and started the ascent.

Vincent kept looking back in paranoia for most of the trip up, and was about to fry the startled Shin-Ra trooper at the top of the stairs before Zax called for the man to put down his gun. "It's just us, Alan. And a coupla new friends." They stopped for a while in the room, Sephiroth closed the secret door and Zax pulled Cloud up to a better position. After glaring at Alan, Vincent walked next to the Soldier and checked on the boy.

"He has a fever. It usually passes in a few days. We must hurry, we're not out of danger yet." The Turk muttered and turned to the room's door. It was still the same, the room, just like he remembered it. Only more dusty. But the bed was still there, and next to it the chair, where he had sat that one day, when she had come to the room and sat down on his lap. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she had nuzzled his ear and whispered sweet nothings. He had turned to kiss her, and she had kissed him back, and

"Valentine."

Vincent turned sharply to face Sephiroth. The General had a strange, unemotional expression which still managed to say that he didn't think much of the Turk's mental health at the moment. Looking around, Vincent noticed that the others had left already, and followed them. Sephiroth stood there for a moment longer before following.

Night had fallen some time ago when they reached the courtyard. The small band stopped at the gate, wondering what they should do. Looking at the sleeping town, Vincent almost fell into his memories again, but shook his head to clear his mind. "We must leave Nibelheim, as soon as possible. It won't take long before they notice we're gone."

As to prove his words they heard the mansion's door open and three of Hojo's assistants ran out, firing their guns at them. Forgetting all objections, Sephiroth went into general-mode.

"Zackery, you leave for the hills towards the reactor. Kaze, Valentine and I stay here and take care of the enemy. Rendezvous at the Mako cave. If we're not there by tomorrow morning, Lindeman, retreat to Rocket Town."

Zax nodded and ran. Vincent watched after the Soldier until a bullet flew right past his ear. Alan was already firing back. Sephiroth pulled out his sword and took his battle stance. "Valentine, you better survive this, I intend to hold you to your promise."

"Fear not, I do not wish to die before Hojo lies dead at my feet." Vincent answered with the same monotonous tone and aimed the first spell. It took out the closest one but the other two continued their progress, covered with wall spells which protected them from Sephiroth's ice spell and the bullets.

Alan screamed in pain as a bullet ripped through his side, and the young man fell back, dead before he hit the ground with another bullet in his head. The assistants ceased fire, pointing their guns at the General.

"Don't do anything stupid, Valentine!" One assistant shouted. "Stand still!"

"Retreat, Valentine. I can take a couple of bullets." Sephiroth hissed, ready to call up a wall to protect them, but the Turk couldn't move. The assistants started to slowly walk closer.

"Sephiroth, run. They have control over me. I won't be able to escape." Vincent muttered, trying in vain to move his body.

"What?"

"Take Cloud away from here, he never did anything to deserve what Hojo did to him. He also knows everything I could tell you. Go, before they turn me on you. I am unable to fight them."

"Valentine, SHUT UP! General, stay still, the professor will want to talk to you." The other assistant ordered.

Vincent couldn't speak anymore but the glare in his blood red eyes made up Sephiroth's mind. The General turned and ran.

Both the assistants guns went off, and Vincent could see Sephiroth stagger and almost stumble. They had hit him.

/...kill them.../

The Turk roared in anger, and the two men turned to look at him.

/...let me out.../

Vincent found himself staring down the barrel of a gun, while the other was still pointing towards Sephiroth, who had used the moment of confusion to escape. Swearing loudly, the assistant fired and Vincent could feel the bullet go through his body.

/Let me out, and I'll take care of them!/

The sweet, sickening pain, almost pleasant, lifted a twisted smile up to his face, and the dark-haired man felt a new pain in his back just before two wings grew out.

/Their deaths shall be painful!/

He didn't know what exactly was happening to him, but he could see the horror in the assistants faces as they backed away. His consciousness was fading and he guessed that one of the monsters Hojo had planted in his mind was coming out, taking control.

Cloud was free, and could tell Sephiroth everything the General needed to know. Sephiroth would be smart enough to realize the truth, to turn his back on Hojo and Shin-Ra. And even though Vincent couldn't be there to see what happened next, he found comfort in Hojo's misfortune. It was a twisted kind of revenge, but it was his revenge, and the Turk felt free, even though the collar was still around his neck, even though his body was twisting into another being.

With a smile, Vincent Valentine welcomed it.

* * *

Author's notes, now almost as long as the chapter!: Personally I think that there's something really wrong with this chapter, but I've read it through about a ten times and haven't figured out what it is...

This story will be updated every Friday, as that's currently just about the only day I can get to a computer. Stupid school... don't know about this Friday, though... great, I'm already breaking my promises... and yes, I am aware that it's now Monday. Call this a lucky break. The police are calling it breaking and entering.

I've read somewhere that Zax's real last name is Knightblade, but by then I'd already dubbed him Lindeman. Too much Rammstein will do that to you...  
And doesn't it just fit perfectly? ...or is it just me... (edit. Note: Yeah, his real last name is Fair, but it'll stay Lindeman through this story.)

Hit that nice little button there and tell me what you think... please?


	7. Chapter Five

Whee, someone likes my little story enough to put it on their list! Thanks KK!!  
Vinchaos... aww come on, write?

Me no own, ok?

* * *

**Chapter five: Politics.**

**-**

Reno yawned and tried so very hard to stay awake. Rude had told him yesterday that no matter how funny it seemed, Tseng would still punish them for injecting Palmer's donuts with a strong laxative. The red-head just hadn't thought the punishment would be this severe: having to accompany the president to a board meeting. He did get some pleasure out of watching Palmer's pained squirming, but it got old pretty soon, and besides that and Scarlet's cleavage there wasn't much to keep him interested. He didn't know how Rude managed it... maybe the bald man was actually asleep behind the sunglasses, or then he was listening to music through his earplug.

Scarlet and Reeve were practically at each other's throats over the last year's budget surplus and whether it would go to Junon's cannon or Sector Five. And even though he had a good view of her ample bosom, Reno wished they'd just shut up and end the meeting. An elbow nudging his ribs brought the Turk out of his thoughts, and Rude leaned closer.

"Hojo." Reno knew his friend well enough to know that the one word actually meant 'check out the professor, he's acting even weirder than normal'. He shifted his eyes to look at the scientist, who had been silent through most of the conversation. Hojo did look especially odd, the skinny man was staring at the table, fidgeting with his pen and looking way too pleased with himself, if anyone asked him. Reno brightened up immediately, trying to find a way to sneak behind the professor's back to take a peek at his notes without looking suspicious. The Turk knew that Hojo's favourite project, Sephiroth, was away on a mission, but usually the man was a bundle of nerves at those times. Reno didn't know if the professor was actually worried that the most powerful Soldier in existence would somehow meet his death in the hands of a vicious cappawire or something or if he was just pissed because he couldn't use the General for experiments.

The ringing of a PHS quieted the whole room suddenly, and everyone turned from the Scarlet & Reeve -show to stare at Hojo, who searched the pockets of his white labcoat, looking surprised. Reno watched with overflowing curiosity as Hojo's eyes went wide and face paled after he had listened for a while.

"You... you idiots! When I get my hands on you, boy, you'll wish your grandfather would have been neutered at birth!" Hojo slammed the small device to the table and turned to face Shin-Ra.

"Mr. President, we need to have a private word. Now."

The change from happy-Hojo to lunatic-Hojo was so disturbing in a curious way that Reno was actually sorry when the President ordered everyone except the professor and himself out of the conference room. They were all so creeped out by Hojo that no one objected. Palmer was already out of sight when the Turks closed the doors behind themselves, and Scarlet and Reeve had resumed their debate. As soon as they disappeared behind a corner, followed by Heidegger, Reno grinned and punched Rude lightly on the arm.

"Come on, I need to take a piss."

Rude slowly turned to stare at him, through the dark glasses. "...and you need me to hold your hand?"

"Just come on, you'll like it!" He dragged the taller man towards the toilets and into one of the cubicles. A man who was washing his hands gave them an odd look, but seeing their Turk uniforms decided not to make any smart comments and left quickly.

Rude watched, puzzled, as Reno stood up on the seat and tried to open the crate above it. "What are you doing?"

"Haven't you ever noticed how bad it sometimes stinks in the conference room?" Reno muttered, still fighting with the crate.

"...I thought that was Palmer."

"Heh. Not all of the time. Man, you're a Turk, you should know these things! This here ventilation shaft takes us straight above the Prez and the prof." Reno himself hadn't been a Turk for long, he was the newest one, but the first thing a Turk needed was the ability to blend straight in and learn the ways of the house. That and to dodge bullets.

"...and how did you find out about this?" Rude asked, intrigued by the whole thing, even though he didn't show it. Reno finally managed to open the crate and looked down on him.

"Well, Zax told me. He noticed it first. Give us a push."

Rude shrugged and pushed the rail-thin man up with such strength that Reno almost went through the roof of the shaft. The red-head crawled along a bit and turned towards the opening. "Coming?"

"No."

"Okay..." '...wouldn't have fitted here anyway, fat-ass...'

Crawling along quietly, Reno was soon above the conference room, and laid down on his stomach to watch the show. He absent-mindedly wished he'd brought snacks.

Shin-Ra was still sitting at the head of the table, but Hojo was walking around nervously, ranting and raving. "Why wasn't he sent alone?! The damned buffoons sent with him ruined everything!"

"Hojo, calm down. I do not decide on these things, it's Heidegger's business. What was so important that only Sephiroth should have witnessed it?"

Hojo stopped, threw his hands around and started on a few sentences before finally finishing one. "If he would have been sent alone, he would have completed the mission without problems, found the notes I needed him to find in order of my plan, and fulfilled it! He was doing just that, but since he wasn't there alone, his companions went around my laboratory and freed two extremely dangerous specimens who burned down all of Nibelheim!"

Now that got a reaction out of the President, Reno noticed with a grin. But it didn't take a genius to figure out that this meant trouble. Maybe not for him, but for someone. "...damn..." he muttered when he realized that the Soldier sent to accompany Sephiroth to Nibelheim was no other than his friend and regular drinking buddy Zackery Lindeman. Frowning, Reno moved a bit to get a better view of the room.

"All of it? What about the people?"

'Bollocks, Prez, that's Reeve's line, don't try to pretend like you care...'

"My assistant informed me that the survivors left towards Rocket Town. They seem to be under the impression that it was Sephiroth and his companions who burned the town."

"We can't have that, that'll lay the blame on us. Hojo, what do you intend to do?"

"Telling them the truth, that the fire was started by one of our experimenting specimens, isn't going to help our case either..."

"YOUR specimens, Hojo."

"...my specimens. They need to be terminated, or captured and brought back to the laboratory. They are dangerous and unpredictable. My assistants are already trying to locate them."

"Hmm. We have to find a way to turn this around, to make the company look like the saviors. Someone will have to be officially blamed for this. The specimens or Sephiroth?"

Reno didn't know whether he should be relieved or worried that Hojo actually had to think on that. This whole deal was starting to sound too serious for his likings. He'd have to tell Tseng, even if the President didn't want anyone to know the truth. He'd have to tell Tseng.

"...may I suggest that we send troops and food and all the mundane things to the survivors, and assure them that we're taking care of everything. Blame the specimens, but call them monsters, created by the reactor. Capture Sephiroth, alive, he's the most important of them all. The specimens may be wasted, and the Soldiers should be silenced. My Sephiroth will understand the importance of keeping his mouth shut, but the others might not be as wise. If we do this quickly, the rumours that Sephiroth burned the village will not spread too far, we'll be seen as saviors, and I'll still have a chance to fulfill my plan with the General."

"...you bloody bastard..." Reno hissed quietly, even though he had to admire the professor's speed of thought a bit. The President seemed pleased and the red-head left them to think about the details, knowing that he would soon hear them from Tseng. But before that, the leader of the Turks should know the truth.

He crawled quickly back towards the toilet and jumped out. Rude had left the cubicle and was watching the door.

"Anything interesting?"

"...fuck me, that was some deep shit, man... come on, we have to get to Tseng, pronto."

Rude shrugged and followed the younger Turk out.

* * *

A.N: Sorry it's so short, hope it wasn't complete bull...

EXTRA:

Reeve and Scarlet stopped in front of the elevator and glared at each other.

"We have to come to some sort of conclusion here." Reeve said and pressed the button.

Scarlet crossed her arms across her sizable chest and pouted. "We can't split it, there's not enough for that..." She reasoned as the elevator pinged and the doors opened. They stepped in, he pressed a button and they turned to look at each other again.

"So, what to do..." She mused and looked at him, up and down. Then again, more slowly. Reeve was starting to feel very uncomfortable under the scrutiny, and started to pray for a way out when the woman licked her lips suggestively. "There is only one way..."

But the gods were not looking in his direction just then, and Reeve could only back against the wall of the elevator as she stepped closer and pushed her hand between her breasts. What a cleavage, he had to wonder, as he had once seen her pull out a semi-automatic gun from the very same crevasse. "...and that is..."

This time, she pulled out a...

...a deck of cards?

"STRIP POKER!! KYA HA HA HAAA!!"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!"


	8. Chapter Six

Aww we have to leave poor Reeve to the elevator with Scarlet... our thoughts will be with the unfortunate soul... but now we have to return to your scheduled program. Here ya go!

At the moment, all I have is a cold. This all belongs to Squaresoft, who make the best darn games ever. Yeh. The brown thing on my tongue is just chocolate, I swear! Thankees for reviews!

* * *

**Chapter six: The morning after.**

**-**

Zax stifled a yawn and opened his eyes, squinting against the morning light. He was half sitting, half laying in a small nook in the Mako cave, with a clear view to the cave's mouth but still hidden from sight. The glow from the inner cave gave the whole place a greenish tint. It took him a second to remember where and why he was, but then his arms instinctively tightened around the red bundle in his arms. The movement was answered with a small groan, and the Soldier peeled the cloak off enough to see the boy's pale face. He lifted a hand to Cloud's forehead and was relieved when it wasn't hot anymore. He hadn't dared to sleep for most of the night, looking after the boy and waiting for the others.

Now it was morning, and there was still no sign of them. Something had gone wrong. Or then they had entered the cave and were sleeping in some other hiding place.

"Please let it be so..." Zax muttered and sat up carefully. Cloud squeaked in protest but quieted when the Soldier held him closer.

"You are awake."

Zax almost jumped and turned to the direction of the voice. He could have sworn that there was no one at the mouth of the cave, but when he looked closer he could just make out Sephiroth's form, leaning against the rock. The General was looking out and didn't move at all. Still, Zax was very relieved to see his friend was in one piece.

"Seph... damn, man, you scared me... where are the others?"

Sephiroth paused for a second before answering. "Kaze was killed. The assistants had some sort of control over Valentine. I do not know if they survived the fire."

"What? Uh... fire? Seph?" Zax fought down the urge to jump up, run to his friend and shake the story out of him. The silver-haired man sighed and lowered his head. The morning sun was coming up, shining straight into the cave and making it difficult for Zax to see anything. Sephiroth's quiet voice might as well have floated from nowhere.

"The assistants gained control over Valentine, and he told me to run. Then he turned into… something. A demon of sorts, and released a powerful fire spell. All of Nibelheim burned down."

The story was delivered at a deadpan tone, which made it sound all the worse to Zax. The Soldier opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, before closing his eyes and swearing under his breath. A simple mission. It had been just a simple mission to a malfunctioning reactor, and now a whole town was destroyed?

"He told me to escape, to take the boy away from here. He apparently knows what ever it was that Valentine could have told me." Sephiroth continued quietly, turned and walked stiffly to his friend. Zax shook his head, not sure if he could believe anything he'd just heard, and looked up.

"What's with the walk? Did they get you?"

"I caught a few bullets..." the General shrugged and crouched down. Zax looked him over carefully, but with the black clothes it was hard to tell how serious the injuries were. There was some blood on Sephiroth's bare chest, but he seemed to be doing well. They had both been injured before, they knew what they could take.

"The people of Nibelheim... did anyone survive?" The Soldier dared to ask after a moment of silence.

"They sounded the alarm when I was still within hearing distance. The town is gone but the people might have made it."

Zax nodded and attempted a smile. "Well then, what next, o great leader?"

"We should leave, in case the assistants survived."

"Heh, with our luck, you can bet your sweet ass on it."

"..." Sephiroth just stared at him until Zax let out a nervous laugh.

"Uhh, so, Rocket Town? We can contact Shin-Ra from there."

Sephiroth stood up and walked around quietly, deep in thought. Zax sighed and turned to look at the pale boy in his arms.

"Rocket Town seems like the obvious choice, it is close by, and if there are survivors they are probably heading there." The General finally said, frowning. "Contacting Shin-Ra... that's another thing."

"Thinking about how much they know about Hojo's little business here?" Zax suggested and Sephiroth nodded.

"Yes, Zackery. And how will they react to the fact that Nibelheim is no more. Hojo has a lot of influence, and I can imagine that old man Shin-Ra wouldn't want it publicly known that the professor has been kidnapping and torturing people here. Not to mention what we found in the reactor. How is the boy?"

"He's asleep, or out cold. I haven't figured out which. Fever went down during the night, but he's still pretty damn pale." The Soldier went unusually quiet for a while. "Vincent... did he survive?"

"...I seriously don't know. The thing he... turned into flew away. Just disappeared."

"Damn..."

"Yes."

* * *

Zax stayed in the cave with Cloud while Sephiroth went to check on Nibelheim before noon. Apart from the occasional monster there wasn't much to see or save. The whole town, except for the mansion, had burned down, and the survivors had already gathered what belongings they had and were leaving towards Rocket Town. There was no sign of the assistants or anyone associated with Shin-Ra. The news of the fire must have reached Midgar by now, and the General guessed that people would come to investigate. Perhaps the Turks...

He went to the town itself, but stayed hidden from sight, and just listened. The fact that the mansion still stood made the townsfolk blame Shin-Ra for the fire, and especially the General's little group. They had been seen entering the mansion, so Sephiroth was sure there would be no use in trying to convince the people to believe that they were innocent.

He wandered to the mansion's courtyard but there were no signs of the previous night's actions. Even Alan's body was gone, and his blood washed away. No sign of Vincent, either, but Sephiroth was sure he saw a glimpse of a white laboratory coat in one of the windows. Figuring that there wasn't much he could do now, he returned to the cave.

Zax then made him show the two bullet wounds, and the Soldier checked them to make sure the bullets had both come out. Sephiroth let him fuss over the flesh wound in his right arm and the more painful injured muscle on his left thigh, knowing that Zax wouldn't rest until he was sure that the General was alright. And it was nice, to be taken care of, for once.

They ate some of the rabbit meat Sephiroth had caught on his trip to Nibelheim, and decided to rest for a moment longer before leaving.

"Come on, kid, just a little sip." Zax's voice drifted from the cave and made Sephiroth look away from watching the scenery. The Soldier was trying to get Cloud to drink some water, but the boy, who still hadn't woken up, kept struggling against it. "It's just water, it'll make you feel better. I don't want to force you."

"Try asking nicely..." Sephiroth muttered and absent-mindedly iced a monster that wandered too close.

"How can I get any more nice?" Zax muttered and sighed. "Come on, Cloud, please?"

A bolt spell blew the frozen monster all over the scenery.

"...hell, whaddayaknow, it worked."

"Told you. It's getting dark, we'll leave soon."

"Yes sir!" The Soldier answered cheerfully. Sephiroth sighed, wondering if anything could bring the young man down for longer than two seconds. Zax could be almost as cold and calculating as he was, but it was impossible to lower the Soldier's good spirits.

"...Vincent?"

They both turned to look at the boy, and Sephiroth rushed to stand over Zax. The Soldier pulled Cloud carefully into a sitting position and smiled widely when one blue eye opened slightly.

"Hiya, kid! How're you doing?" Both eyes flew open and soon focused on the grinning man. Zax's smile grew even wider and he winked. "Hey, don't look so scared. You're out of Hojo's reach now."

"...Vincent?"

Sephiroth kneeled beside the boy, facing Zax, and hesitantly put a hand on Cloud's shoulder. "He told us to get you out of Nibelheim." Blue eyes turned to him and went even wider as the boy squeaked quietly and blinked a few times.

"...Sephiroth?"

"Not much of a talker, is he?" Zax said to Sephiroth with a grin and loosened his tight grip on Cloud. The boy swayed a bit but managed to sit without support. He was still staring at Sephiroth so the Soldier waved a hand before his eyes. "Hey kid, are you alright?"

Cloud closed his eyes and swallowed. "Wuh... where's Vincent?"

Zax and Sephiroth looked at each other for a moment before the Soldier opened his mouth. "Uhh, we're not actually sure. There was a fight, when we escaped, and a fire, so..."

"Fight? Fire?" Cloud squeaked and frowned, tugging at the red cape. He shifted a little and blushed. "Clothes?"

"Definitely not much of a talker..." Zax chuckled. "Don't worry, kid, we're just leaving for Rocket Town, we'll get you some clothes there."

"Rocket Town?"

"...and we better wait a while before explaining the whole situation, I don't think you'd get most of it right now..." The Soldier muttered with a grin, waving a hand in front of the boy's face again. Cloud didn't react, just yawned. Sephiroth stood up and walked back to the cave's mouth. Zax grabbed the boy and stood up, holding the blond in his arms like a child. "Go back to sleep, you still don't look too hot. I mean, like in the being-all-right -sense. For a kid, you are kinda hot."

"Zackery. Don't scare him."

"He's already asleep."

"Let's go then, before it's completely dark."

"Yes, boss."

* * *

The trip towards Rocket Town was very uneventful, except for the few monsters that dared to cross their path. The small group avoided the villager's camps, knowing that they wouldn't be welcome. A few hours before morning they found a small cave and rested there.

Morning sun woke them up, except for Cloud who had pulled the cloak over his face. Zax's smile at that turned into a wide, loud yawn that made Sephiroth glare at him.

"I don't think they heard you at Costa del Sol."

"By Shiva, the mighty Sephiroth made a Joke!" Zax chuckled and ran a hand through his mane of brownish-black hair. The General ignored him, got up and went to the cave's mouth. "Anything interesting?"

"A group of villagers. We'll leave as soon as they are out of sight."

"Great. Is it still long before we get there?"

"We'll be in Rocket Town late tonight, or early tomorrow morning. We should be able to move faster than the villagers, but these are the last group who left Nibelheim. The first ones must be there already." Sephiroth muttered, rubbing his leg which was still a bit sore.

"Telling everyone that WE burned their town down?" Zax muttered seriously and adjusted his clothes.

"They seem to be under that impression."

"Joy..." the Soldier turned his attention to Cloud who was yawning and trying to push the cloak away. Zax smiled and helped, pulling the cloth away from the boy's face. "Morning, makoboy!"

Cloud blinked and frowned, rubbing his eyes. Sephiroth turned to look at them but remained quiet while Zax tugged at the cloak.

"Feeling better, kiddo?"

"Yeah... who are you?" The blond sat up with Zax's help and looked at the smiling Soldier cautiously. Blue eyes went wide again when he saw the General.

"I'm Zackery, but everyone calls me Zax. Apparently, you already know Seph, here." The Soldier explained with a grin and pointed at Sephiroth, who nodded slightly. Cloud blushed and pulled the cloak around himself tighter.

"I've heard of him. Where's Vincent? And where are we? I remember something about Rocket Town?" The boy said, eyes downcast. Zax and Sephiroth looked at each other.

"We're between Nibelheim and Rocket Town, where we're going. Vincent... we're not sure what happened to him." Zax said after a moment, not knowing how much the boy knew of Vincent's apparent ability to change shapes.

Cloud lifted his head to stare at the Soldier, looking a bit lost and confused. "What do you mean?"

"He... turned into something completely different. A black, winged demon." Sephiroth said quietly, which made the blond shake his head.

"What? I don't understand..." Cloud said quietly and rubbed his face. He had no idea how long had passed since the last experiments and what had happened since. All he knew was that Vincent wasn't here, and wherever here actually was, it wasn't the laboratory. THE General Sephiroth was here, with a Soldier First Class, but no Vincent.

Zax looked up to Sephiroth who shrugged before speaking. "Before changing he told me to get you out, and that they controlled him, that he couldn't leave."

"They can control him, Hojo made sure of that. The collar around his neck..." Cloud said quietly. "He... he told me we'd get out, and get Hojo back, for what he did to us. He can't die, he couldn't have, not before we get Hojo... he has to be alive..." the boy whispered, holding the cloak tightly. It smelled vaguely like him, subtle and a bit metallic. The Turk had been the only one he had dared to trust in a long time, and now that the broody man wasn't here... the blond almost had tears in his eyes, so Zax wrapped both arms around him and looked up at Sephiroth.

The General sighed. "The thing he turned into flew away. Maybe he is free now... whatever he is."

"Yeah... maybe he's even looking for us." Zax suggested and bit his tongue. He didn't want to get the boy's hopes too high. But the words calmed Cloud and he nodded, pulling away from the older man.

"M-maybe..." the blond whispered and rubbed his eyes. "What about the assistants?"

"At least one of them was still alive when I went to Nibelheim. If they know that we still live, Hojo knows." Sephiroth explained. Cloud frowned and thought for a while before opening his mouth again.

"You're going to Rocket Town, right?"

"Yep!" Zax said with a smile.

"If you don't need me for anything, I'd like to go back to Nibelheim. My mom lives there alone, and thinks I'm dead... I haven't seen her in a long time..." he noticed the looks Zax and Sephiroth gave to each other. "What?"

"Uhh, Cloud... the thing is..." the Soldier began, and put a hand on the boy's shoulder. "There was a fire, when we escaped, and... Nibelheim burned down. The survivors are traveling to Rocket Town, so if she's alright, your mom will be there as well."

The older men exchanged looks again while Cloud processed the new information. Nibelheim was no more? He couldn't say he missed the place, or the people, only his mother... they had been outcasts, but they would have saved her from the fire, he knew their neighbours, they couldn't have let her die. The blond lifted his face to look at the others. "Well what are we waiting for then?"

Sephiroth gathered their few belongings while Zax passed the water and the rest of the meat around. Cloud didn't have much of an appetite but he drank greedily, nearly emptying the bottle.

"Careful!" Zax said with a grin. "You're going to get sick!" The Soldier stood up and offered a hand to the boy. Sephiroth watched them from the cave's mouth and smiled slightly when Cloud fell back on the ground in a mess of red and thin limbs. "Damn! Sorry..." Zax muttered, trying not to laugh at the look of injured pride Cloud gave him. "You ok? Maybe I should carry you, your legs may be a little shaky..."

"Really? What gave you that idea..." the boy muttered and wrapped his arms around Zax's neck. The Soldier stood up then and grabbed Cloud's legs, carrying him on his back as they left the cave.

They saw a couple of groups of the villagers during the day, but again kept out of their sight. Cloud wanted to go and find out about his mother, but Zax explained him the whole situation they were in and asked for the boy to wait until they were in Rocket Town.

"And if they all think you're dead, think what'll happen when you suddenly appear in front of them, naked except for a blood red cape?" The Soldier thought about it more carefully and grinned wickedly. "On the other hand, think what'll happen when you suddenly appear in front of them, in a cape of blood?!"

"Zackery." Sephiroth killed the idea before the Soldier got too excited. "They have just lost their homes and possessions, it isn't nice to screw with their minds like that."

Zax laughed out loud and Cloud chuckled. He wouldn't have any problems with scaring his old bullies, but it wouldn't be too impressive if he had to crawl to them. His feet still wouldn't carry him, and even though he had only hanged on to Zax's neck all day he felt like he had just climbed a mountain.

Sephiroth wanted to ask the boy all the questions Valentine had promised to answer, but also told himself to wait until they reached Rocket Town and cleared out the situation. He felt that the answers might be a bit more than he could take at the current time. Besides, Zax had glared daggers at him every time he had thought about opening his mouth to ask something.

'He knows me too well...' the General thought and looked at his friend, who was usually the only trustworthy thing in his whole life, always there when he needed him, and even when he didn't. Zax was whistling quietly, violet eyes scanning their surroundings. Cloud's head was resting on his shoulder, the boy was obviously asleep again. Zax was always kind and friendly to everyone he met, unless it was an enemy he couldn't befriend. That was probably why they'd become friends in the first place, the younger man's ability to get anyone to open up and trust him. Sephiroth had known he'd take good care of the boy, and the Soldier did, almost fussing over him like a mother chocobo. The mental image made Sephiroth smirk.

"What?" Zax asked, noticing the unusual expression.

"Oh, nothing..." the General said and quickened his pace a bit. "...wark..."

At midnight they were still over ten miles from Rocket Town, and decided to rest for a few hours and enter the town in the morning. Cloud had slept most of the day, and didn't wake when Zax lowered him to the ground. Sephiroth had climbed to the top of a nearby hill, and could see the dim lights of the town. The Soldier walked quietly to stand next to him, and stretched to get his muscles to loosen up.

"What are you thinking, Seph?" he asked quietly, and the General shrugged, eyes fixed on the lights. "You think there's going to be trouble when we get there?"

"Hojo and Shin-Ra must know about this already, and made decisions on what to do. The question now is, are we valuable enough that they won't simply kill us to hide the truth? Or have they figured out a way to cover the whole thing up?"

"They wouldn't kill all of the survivors, would they?"

"No. Most have reached Rocket Town, so Shin-Ra would have to kill everyone there as well, in order to keep them quiet."

"So we should fear for the best and hope for the worst?" Zax asked, scratching his neck. Sephiroth closed his eyes and smiled.

"I'd prefer it the other way around, Zackery, but whatever you say..."

"Oh, yeah, that's what I meant..." the Soldier said with a quiet chuckle. "Must be more tired that I thought..."

"Get some sleep, I'll keep an eye on things." The General suggested, guessing that Zax had said that just to make him relax. The grin on his brown-haired friend's face, illuminated by the slight, violet-blue glow of the Soldier's eyes convinced him of that.

"Yes, sir! Wake me if you get tired."

Sephiroth nodded and continued to stare at the lights while Zax walked back down to Cloud. He pulled the boy into his arms to keep warm and soon fell asleep. The General looked at them for a while, sighed and sat down. It was almost completely quiet now, and so dark, the stars above and the few lights of the town the only illuminations of the night. Nothing to concentrate on, nothing to distract him from his thoughts... nothing to stop

/Son, why didn't you come to me?/

her. Sephiroth's back went straight and he closed his eyes.

'Not again...'

* * *

A.N: Ohh yeah, if anyone notices anything that seems odd or doesn't fit the story, please lemme know, 'cause I tend to miss that kinda things... Good ventilation, good. Being a total airhead, bad.

EXTRA:

Sephiroth moaned as the strange buzz started in his head. He knew that it meant that SHE would talk to him soon...

/Ding dong! Avon calling!/

His ice-green eyes went wide with fear and the great General jumped up and ran screaming to the night, waving his hands around. Zax woke enough to see the last glimmer of a silvery mane disappear into the darkness.

"Not again..."

...and back in Midgar...

Tseng pressed the button for the third time and swore under his breath. Seriously. This job would be the end of him.

First, there were the Turks, whom he was the boss of. Really, it was only him, Rude and Reno. Rude was ok, silent, strong, and followed orders. Reno was the exact opposite. Unfortunately, the red-head managed to drag Rude into his shenanigans. He was a boss to two nimrods, who loved to drink and then trash the bar. That... cost a lot.

Second was the job itself, the things he had to do. Keeping an eye on the President while in meetings was easy, although very boring. Keeping an eye on the President elsewhere was a little bit more interesting. Keeping an eye on the President in the Honey Bee Inn was just plain torture. And now, now he'd have to abandon all that glory and fly to a small nowheresville to assure the people of a smaller nowheresville that the President would make it all right again. Great. Not to mention that he'd have to have one of the few people he considered as his friends captured, and he'd probably earn his hatred by doing that.

And the third... the third was this whole damn place, all of Midgar. Simple as that. The sparkling city of metal and development. Yeaaaah, right. If something actually worked properly, it was a miracle. This was a perfect example, he had been waiting for the elevator for ten minutes now! He was seriously thinking about turning and walking away from it all when the elevator finally pinged and the doors slid open. The sight that greeted him made the Turk's brown eyes almost drop from their sockets.

Scarlet was cackling like a blood-thirsty harpy with a heavily painted face, pulling the pants off of Reeve. The poor man was on his stomach, trying to claw his way out of the elevator. There was playing cards scattered all over the floor. When he noticed that the doors opened, the young executive looked up pleadingly at Tseng.

"Please oh pleeeze, HELP MEEE!"

Tseng just stared for a second and sighed. Turn and walk away. Turn and walk away. Turn and walk away...

"NOOOOOOO!"

Reeve's pained wail rang in his ears as the Turk decided to take the stairs.


	9. Chapter Seven

I own nothing. I am the weakest link. Good night! Thank you for the reviews! There's some swearing towards the end, so if your eyes are sensitive, watch out...

* * *

**Chapter seven: ...trouble, and make it double...**

**-**

"Zackery, wake up."

The light kick finally woke the Soldier up, and he squinted at the pale sky above. The sun hadn't risen yet, and he suspected that it would be an hour before it would, but the darkness of the night was almost gone. Cloud had curled up to a little ball and was sleeping soundly in his arms. Careful not to wake the boy, Zax sat up and crawled sleepily to where Sephiroth was standing on the hill.

"You didn't have to kick me..."

"Apparently I did. We should get a move on, some people from Nibelheim are approaching, we'd best leave before them, or we'll have to wait until they're out of sight." The General explained and pointed to where they had come from. Zax turned to look and, after a moment, saw movement. He then turned to look at Rocket Town, and the rocket, which was visible even from here, and sighed.

"Ok, let's go then."

Sun had risen some time ago when they stopped, about a mile from the town. People were moving around already, the town full now with all the refugees from Nibelheim.

"Why did we stop?" Cloud asked. He'd just woken up, and was eager to get into town, to find his mother. Zax carefully lowered him to the ground, and the boy managed to stand if he held on to the Soldier's shirt.

"It's not wise for all of us to go in at once." Sephiroth explained, frowning as he stared at the town. "One should go first."

"Who?" Zax asked and raised an eyebrow when the others looked at him. "Me?"

"You. I am too easily recognizable, and Cloud, no matter how much he'd like to go, is practically naked and can barely stand. Find out what's going on and bring him some clothes, we'll wait here." The General said and Cloud nodded. Zax helped the boy to sit and, with a last smile, jogged towards the town.

Even though it was still early, everyone in Rocket Town seemed to be up and moving, gathering at a small clearing between the shops and houses, not far from the rocket. Zax stayed out of sight as well as he could and sneaked into the clothes shop. He found a long, brown coat for himself, to hide his Soldier uniform, and guessing what size Cloud was, picked out a shirt, trousers and a pair of shoes for him. The man at the counter glared at him suspiciously, but didn't mind taking most of his gil.

Hiding behind the corner, he stuffed Cloud's clothes under his own shirt and pulled the coat on. Looking down at his new stomach and appearance, he groaned. "Ok, it's not the BEST disguise, but it'll have to do..." With that, he stepped out to the street and joined the people at the clearing, hoping he'd get to find out what was going on.

* * *

/Come to me, son.../

"What are you staring at?" Sephiroth finally asked, and Cloud quickly lowered his eyes. The General had felt the boy stare at him for a while now, and was starting to grow annoyed. Everyone always stared at him, no matter where he went. Stared with awe or fear, it didn't matter which, for their reaction was always to treat him like he wasn't human. Maybe something more, maybe something less, but not human. He was so used to it that it didn't bother him so much as it used to, when he had first joined Soldier. But now the General had so much on his mind that even the smallest things were making him angry.

"Nothing..." Cloud said quietly and turned to look at the town. Sephiroth raised an eyebrow. He opened his mouth to ask the boy of the things he supposedly knew, but decided not to. The whole Nibelheim incident would have to be taken care of before he could concentrate... to hell with it.

"Cloud..." the boy turned to look up at him. "Vincent said that you... know some things. About me, and... my past. What exactly do you know?" The General asked and crouched down. Cloud blinked a few times before shrugging.

"You mean about your parents, and the experiments?"

"I know my parents, what can you tell me about the experiments?"

"...that you were injected with Mako and Jenova-cells even before you were born, and after that Hojo did all sorts of experiments on you, making you into a super-Soldier. Professor Gast started the project, but Hojo took over soon, getting rid of him. You were injected with Jenova because they wanted to create Cetra again, as they are almost extinct." The boy explained after a second, repeating the basic idea of the whole project.

"Mother..." Sephiroth muttered and stood up to walk around. "I should have gone to her... I still can..." he glanced at Cloud calculatingly. "Zackery should be back soon... yes, mother will understand me..."

"Um, Sephiroth, sir?" Cloud was starting to feel very uncomfortable, listening to the quiet whisperings. The words didn't make much sense, but the most unnerving thing was that he could hear them, even though Sephiroth was talking very quietly, and far enough that he shouldn't hear a thing. "You... you do know that your mother died over 25 years ago?"

Sephiroth whirled around, facing the boy angrily. "Of course I know! She died giving birth to me! Died in my father's arms."

"...Vincent never mentioned that. I'm sorry..." The boy said after a moment. The General frowned.

"Valentine? What would he know about it?"

"He said that your mother died, but he wasn't there then. Hojo was with her."

"Fool. Hojo IS my father!"

Cloud blinked and just stared at the older man. "...I thought you said you know your parents?"

"Of course I do."

"...and you still think that Hojo is your father? Sorry, sir, but have you looked in the mirror? You look nothing like him. Didn't Vincent tell you?"

"There was no time. He said you could tell me everything he knew."

"...He's your father. Vincent. Not Hojo, even though he says so. Vincent loved Lucretia, Hojo just used her."

"Lucretia?"

"...your mother?"

"But... my mother is called Jenova."

"Jenova is just a specimen, Hojo took cells from her and planted them in you, and numerous other people. Including me. If you want to look it that way, she's as much my mother as yours. Vincent and Lucretia are your real parents, sir, and Hojo destroyed both their lives. Lucretia died or disappeared soon after you were born, and Hojo experimented on Vincent for some months before you were born, and then made him sleep until last year or so."

Sephiroth stared at the boy, not knowing what to think. Cloud had spoken like he truly believed what he said. But the voice in the General's mind, the quiet whispering voice, calling him 'son'... which could he trust? With a frustrated sigh, he rubbed his eyes and forced the voice out of his mind so that he could think more clearly. "...Valentine told you this?"

"Yes. He read it from Hojo's personal notes, not the ones in the library."

"Personal notes?" The General noticed how the boy shuddered at the next words.

"In the computer files. Vincent hacked in and read them. Hojo confessed everything, how he wanted to take over the whole experiment, how he used Lucretia and Vincent and drove Gast out. Vincent could tell you so much more, or if we could find professor Gast..." the boy remembered what the Turk had said about the other professor and decided to find the man, as soon as he had found his mother first.

Sephiroth did hear the words, but didn't really listen, as the voice inside his head spoke up, stronger than before, telling him that Vincent and Cloud and even Zackery were all traitors who just wanted to use or kill him. He was starting to develop his own opinions about the whole thing, but the voice was so strong, it didn't just speak to him, it almost controlled him, gave subtle orders to his body. He lifted a hand to cover his eyes, to block out the light and better to concentrate on his own thoughts.

/Come to me, son. Come to mother.../

Cloud closed his eyes and frowned. A menacing buzz was coming from Sephiroth, the same kind of noise he'd heard in his own head when he'd hear the voice. A noise he sometimes heard around Vincent, when the Turk got the strange, haunted expression on his face. The look on the General now was much the same, and Cloud forced his voice to work.

"Sir? Are you alright? Sephiroth, sir?"

"This... is driving me mad..." Sephiroth eventually mumbled and lowered the hand to his side. Without looking at the boy, he stepped out of the relative cover of the trees and looked at Rocket Town. "When Zackery returns, tell him that I had to take care of something."

"Wait!" Cloud Called and the General stopped, turning his head slightly. "She's talking to you, isn't she? Don't listen, sir, please! She's with Hojo, don't trust her!"

Without another word, the General started back towards the Nibel mountains.

"Sephiroth!" Cloud called and lunged after the man, missing the end of the black cape by mere inches. He lost his balance and fell flat on the ground, eyes still fixed on the black-clad man. "Don't listen to her!"

* * *

Zax had expected the people from Nibelheim to blame them for the fire, and heard the very words many times. People were starting to get anxious, townspeople and refugees both. He could see a man with a spear trying to get them to quiet down a bit, and cursed when he saw a figure in a blue uniform standing next to the man.

"Tseng... hoo boy..."

Trying not to draw attention to himself, Zax made his way closer, to hear what the head of the Turks would say. Somehow he got the feeling that this wouldn't be good, and wished that Sephiroth was here instead of him.

"Everyone shut the hell up!" The man with the spear finally roared and thumped the ground with the weapon's blunt end. The clearing fell silent and Tseng stepped forward.

"People of Nibelheim, Rocket Town... I am here today on the behalf of President Shin-Ra" Someone booed in the audience, but one cold glare from Tseng silenced them soon. "He was most devastated to hear what had happened. Be assured, that the incident will be thoroughly investigated.

"I have heard witnesses claim that the General Sephiroth and his men were to blame for the fire that burned down your quaint town. This is, however, wrong. The investigators have already found out that the trouble was started by the monsters who the General was sent to destroy. They caused much havoc at the reactor and at one of our research facilities, freeing two very dangerous specimens. Troops have been sent to locate and terminate the specimens. They look as normal humans but are mere beasts, and we have to ask that if you see them, do not try to engage them in battle, but leave it to the Soldiers."

'...he can't mean Vincent and Cloud?' Zax thought and bit his lower lip. 'Who else? That's nice, Hojo, blame it on the victims. Next thing that bastard'll tell us that it's the villager's fault the reactor is producing monsters...'

"Help and provisions will be sent from Midgar to help the survivors of this horrible event, and as soon as the monster problem of the Nibelheim area is taken care of, the rebuilding of your village may start. Shin-Ra will do all in its power to help, even though the investigation shows that the monster problem could have been avoided if the reactor's workers would have done their work properly."

Zax rolled his eyes as the crowd started to murmur unapprovingly. Tseng made some more empty promises but Zax paid him no more attention, in stead letting his eyes roam over the gathering. He could recognize some of the people he'd met in Nibelheim; there was the innkeeper, and there was their little guide girl, wiping tears from her pretty eyes, and there... wait. His violet eyes returned to the blonde, soot-covered woman who just stared at Tseng with an empty look in her eyes. In her bright blue eyes. Sunshine hair was tied back, but some of it had escaped the ponytail and spiked up a bit. The Soldier grinned, looked at Tseng one more time and started to make his way out of the crowd. Mission accomplished. He knew what was going on, had clothes for Cloud and even the good news that his mother was alive and seemingly well.

As soon as he was out of people's sight, he quickened his pace and half ran towards the small forest. He only now realized that Tseng hadn't said anything else about Sephiroth or the General's companions, but figured that Shin-Ra had decided to keep them alive for a while longer. They could maybe go and talk with the Turk, Tseng and Sephiroth being friends of sorts... find out what exactly was going on in Midgar, what the President had decided to do about the situation and them.

Being brought up in the Gongaga jungles, he had learned to walk in the forest without making any noise. Otherwise he wouldn't have heard the quiet sobs. His hand went automatically to the hilt of the Buster-sword, and Zax bent down, ready for anything. Quietly he walked towards the noise, hiding behind bushes and trees, until his eyes caught the end of a bright red cape. Still, he was wary as he rushed towards Cloud, who was laying on the ground on his stomach, sobbing.

"Cloud? What is it? Where's Seph?" The Soldier asked quietly and helped the boy to sit up. Cloud wiped the tears from his eyes and hiccupped.

"I'm... I'm sorry, Zax, he... Sephiroth left... I tried to stop him but I couldn't..."

"Left? What the hell?" This was not good, not good at all.

"He told me to say that he had to take care of something... he... he... heard the voice, I know... I hear it sometimes, but it doesn't like me much... she wants him... he went to her... I told him not to, but he went..."

Zax was sure the boy was delirious or something, for the words didn't make any sense to him. But Cloud's forehead was only a bit too warm, indicating a slight fever, but nothing to make him hallucinate. And if the boy would be that sick, Sephiroth wouldn't have left him...

'They look as normal humans but are mere beasts...' Tseng's words came to mind, and for a second Zax feared that Cloud had hurt or killed Sephiroth. But he dismissed the thought as soon as it came to mind, as the boy could barely sit, and the General was in perfect condition.

"Shh, it's not your fault..." He pulled the boy to lean against his chest. "Who is 'she'? Do you know where Seph went?"

Cloud calmed a bit and nodded. "She's Jenova... in the reactor... he must have gone there. I tried to tell him the truth, about Vincent and Lucretia, but I guess he didn't believe me..."

"Okay, kid, slow down a bit... what about Vincent and... Lucretia?"

"They are his parents, not Jenova and Hojo, as Hojo would like him to believe. I told him, but Jenova must have told something else."

Zax stared ahead for a while. It made sense, he had noticed it himself. Sephiroth and Vincent were identical. He had never believed it when Hojo had claimed to be the General's father. Back in Nibelheim... it seemed like it had happened years ago, even though just a few days had passed after Sephiroth had gone down to the mansion, muttering something about not being human. But if Vincent was his father, then the general HAD to be human.

"...what's this?"

The Soldier looked down to find Cloud poking his 'stomach' curiously. With a grin he pushed a hand under the shirt and pulled the clothes out. "Here, put these on. You'll look a bit more presentable for your mom."

"You saw her?!" Cloud's eyes started to glow more brightly again, and a relieved smile crept on his pale face. Zax grinned and nodded.

"If she's about your height, blue-eyed and has that same freaky hair, I sure did."

"...who are you to call my hair freaky..." Cloud muttered quietly and smiled, looking at the clothes. The Soldier heard the words and laughed, running a gloved hand through his own, dark spikes.

"Touche! Get dressed, I want to see if I got the size right..."

The boy nodded and let the cape fall off his shoulders. Zax frowned when he saw, for the first time, about ten small holes in Cloud's upper back, in two straight rows. He lifted a hand carefully and touched the reddish, raised ring around one of them. Cloud moved instantly away from the touch and looked at him with wide eyes.

"Don't!"

"Sorry... what... what are they? Do they hurt?" Zax managed after a second. The blond slipped the large shirt over his head before answering.

"...Hojo made them. My 'plug-ins', like he called them... after a while in the tube he decided that it would be easier to feed and inject me through them, especially after my hands got pretty bad..." he showed Zax the inside of his right elbow, the skin scarred and dotted with old, once infected needlemarks, before pulling the sleeve over it. "They don't really hurt, it just feels really... odd when someone touches them. Like their fingers would go under my skin..."

"What... sorry, I mean, how do they... uhh, don't they close up or something?" If Cloud wouldn't have put the shirt on already, Zax knew that he'd just have to stare at the small holes. They made him feel sick but he still wanted to see them again. Like a train wreck.

The blond stared ahead for a while before answering, fingers twisting the hem of the shirt. "No, they don't. Put a needle in and it'll go straight to a major vein or connect to a tube that eventually goes into my stomach. Whatever. Hojo's way of making sure that I don't need to leave the tube for anything."

The Soldier swallowed and shuddered. "Damn... I always knew Hojo was one sick bastard, but this... sorry, kid..." The dark-haired youth looked at the blonde and smirked, trying to get them both to think something else. "Heh, must've judged your size a bit off..."

Cloud looked down at the bluish shirt that would have gone down close to his knees if he had stood up. "No, it's nice... for a tent." The boy blushed a bit at Zax's laughter, but smiled. "Really, thank you. It's warm."

"You're welcome. Get the pants on, then we'd better start figuring out what to do next..."

Cloud obeyed, and pulled the shoes on as well. Zax looked at him up and down approvingly and nodded.

"Not too bad, you'll grow into them. Damn, that sounded just like my mom..."

Cloud snickered at the look on Zax's face but grew silent in a second and turned his head to listen. Zax did the same, just before a gun poked out of the bushes, aimed straight at him. Another one appeared next to it, pointing at Cloud, and no other than Tseng stepped out to the small clearing between the two armed Shin-Ra troopers who soon followed.

"I wouldn't suggest it." the Turk said quietly as Zax's hand went up to the hilt of his sword. "Unless you think you are faster than a bullet."

The Soldier frowned and let go of the weapon, eyeing the troopers. One stared back, unmoving, gun pointing straight between Zax's eyes. The other concentrated on Cloud, who was just about paralyzed to the spot, still and quiet.

"Word of advice, if you are trying to blend into a crowd, do something to your hair, Lindeman." Tseng looked around and frowned. "Where is General Sephiroth? The specimen didn't eat him?" The Turk pointed at Cloud, whose eyes went large. Zax had to laugh.

"Yeah, you just missed it. Picked his teeth with the 'mune. Quite a sight."

Tseng shook his head with a small smile, but his dark eyes were devoid of all feeling. "Always had a quick tongue, Soldier. Too bad I have to silence it. But you tell me where Sephiroth is, and I'll try to make it as painless as possible. If you do not co-operate, I will have to use force."

"I thought you and Sephiroth were supposed to be friends..." The Soldier said, and Tseng's calm facade broke for just a second.

"...you ought to know that men in our positions cannot afford to have friends. Where is he?"

"Even if I knew, I wouldn't tell you, Turk..." Zax scowled, his good humour all gone. He managed to utter the last word like it was an insult. Tseng just nodded and lifted his right index finger slightly. The trooper aiming at the Soldier moved his aim a bit lower and pulled the trigger. Cloud's scream of fear drowned out Zax's growl of pain, which was all he would give. The bullet had passed straight through his left leg, just below the knee.

"Anti-Mako bullets, Lindeman. They stop your enhanced blood from healing you as quickly as it should." The Turk explained. "Now. Sephiroth wouldn't leave his second-in-command without knowledge of where he went. Give it to us, and the next bullet will end your pain."

"Promises, promises... cut the shit, Turk, you won't get a word out of me." Zax said through gritted teeth, resisting the urge to grab his leg and howl in pain. He just prayed that Cloud would keep his mouth shut.

The trooper on Tseng's right side looked at the Turk questioningly, but he just shook his head slightly.

"We could play this game all day, I'm sure Lindeman is a man of his word. But we don't have the time, we have to find the General. Let's see if the specimen knows anything..." Tseng turned to Cloud and smiled slightly. "You ARE Hojo's little specimen, aren't you?"

The boy nodded timidly and looked quickly at Zax. Tseng noticed it and his smile grew a bit wider.

"I thought so. Tell us what we wish to know, and your death will be quick. Otherwise, we'll let you live, and take you back to Hojo."

Cloud's eyes went even wider and he swallowed loudly, but kept quiet and shook his head. Tseng sighed and stepped closer.

"Be reasonable, boy. Do you really wish to spend the rest of your long days in Hojo's care?"

"...no."

"Then tell us where Sephiroth is."

"He doesn't know!" Zax shouted in frustration. Tseng lifted a finger again, and the next bullet hit the same leg, this time above the knee. The Soldier screamed and thumped the ground with his fist. Cloud tried to back away from the approaching Turk, but Tseng was soon right in front of him and grabbed his chin, forcing the blue eyes to meet his dark ones.

"Strange. They told me you would be dangerous, and strong. But you're as harmless as a kitten... still, my patience wears thin. Where is Sephiroth?"

"I'm not telling you..."

"I don't have the time..." Tseng muttered and grabbed the front of Cloud's shirt, pulling the boy up. "This is your last chance... what are you doing?"

When pulled up, Cloud started to feel dizzy, and his back itched as the rough fabric of the shirt rubbed against the small holes. He could almost feel something moving, just underneath his skin. Tseng's hold loosened just a bit, but that just made the itching worse. Cloud squeezed his eyes shut and squeaked as something slithered under his skin and pushed its way out, through the small holes.

"Holy..." Tseng let go of the boy and stepped back, his eyes wide with surprise and even fear, when thin, almost transparent tentacles grew out through the shirt and hovered above the blond hairs.

Zax stared, squeezing his leg to stop the bleeding. The troopers stared, their guns momentarily forgotten. Tseng stared, mouth open but mind running a mile a second, coming to the conclusion that this was bad.

Cloud's body had slumped, he seemed almost unconscious, but the thin tentacles moved on their own, as if testing the air, searching their surroundings.

"...shit." The Turk ended his almost forgotten whisper when the strange snakes seemed to turn towards him. They moved like blind worms that had just crawled out of the ground on a rainy day, but they still knew where he was, and shot out towards him. The Turk didn't have time to move or think before they hit him on the chest, just like a bolt of lightning, and threw the dark man across the clearing, hitting the trooper who had shot Zax, throwing them both against a tree. Tseng had had a wall spell on, so he survived the crash, but was knocked out. The trooper wasn't as lucky.

The remaining man looked at the Turk and the fallen trooper in shock, but turned fast to face the tentacles, now hovering in the air, moving slightly like enchanted snakes. He lifted his shaking hand, and the gun, which instantly brought the creature's attention to him.

"Don't!" Zax screamed but the bullet left the gun already, going straight through the skin and muscle between Cloud's neck and left shoulder, and injuring the shoulder blade. Two of the tentacles went limp and soon disappeared into thin air.

Luckily for the trooper, he was too far for the other eight to reach him, but unfortunately the bullet had woken another monster. Cloud's head came slowly up, mouth twisted in rage, eyes barely open but glowing fiercely. It scared the trooper so that his second bullet missed its mark completely, and he never had a chance for a third. Cloud was up in a blink of an eye and pounced on him like an animal, throwing the screaming trooper to the ground. Fingers sharp as claws dug through the fabric of the jacket, sharper teeth sunk into the exposed skin of the man's chin and the tentacles jolted the dying body with electric shocks.

Zax stared.

When the trooper was dead, the beast seemed to calm down. The tentacles went back in through the holes and Cloud pushed himself off the body. The boy stood on his knees, swayed and sat down, grasping his injured shoulder.

Both the troopers were dead, but Tseng was still alive and coming to. The Turk was confused for a second but remembered soon where he was and what had happened. Opening one eye he scanned his surroundings, finding one body near himself and one next to the specimen, which seemed to be oblivious to its surroundings. The Soldier was much the same way, just staring at the boy. Tseng inched his left hand slowly towards his own gun while getting ready to jump up. He'd kill the specimen first; Lindeman only had his sword, and probably couldn't stand on his injured leg.

With one swift movement that would have made Sephiroth jealous, Tseng got to his feet and pointed the gun at Cloud. Zax had just enough time to register the movement before the gun went off and the blond collapsed in an explosion of blood. But before Tseng had a chance to pull the trigger again, something hit his already injured head hard, and he dropped to the ground.

Zax stared at the Turk, feeling like he'd fallen off the train completely somewhere between Tseng's appearance and getting shot for the second time. Maybe it was the blood loss, but he couldn't really understand what had just happened. Not until a blond man stepped out to the clearing, holding the spear which had efficiently knocked Tseng out.

"Fuckin' Turk..." the man hissed and nudged the unconscious form with the tip of his boot. "No good Shin-Ra slut..." Then he lifted his eyes to Zax and frowned. "And a damned Soldier." Then he looked at Cloud. "And a ... what the hell was that fucking thing anyway?" Back to Zax. The man shook his head and lit the cigarette hanging from the corner of his mouth. "You know, it's days like these that make me thing that the fuckin' Shin-Ra exists just to make my life miserable."

"Tell me about it..." Zax muttered and finally fainted from shock and loss of blood.

* * *

A.N: Everyone hears voices! Yaagh! ...must run in the family or something. Tune in next week to get a dose of painful angst! Yay! No wait, that isn't cheery...

No extra this time, thanks to schoolwork... and again I'm sure there's something wrong with the chapter... well. But! Remember, reviews make me very happy, and when I'm happy, I write a lot... ;3


	10. Chapter Eight

This chapter is sponsored by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Well, okay, not really, but wouldn't it be cool if it were? I don't own them either, not to mention everyone in this story. Poor widdle Alan was mine, and look what happened to him!

* * *

**Chapter eight: Whatever happened to Vincent Valentine?**

**-**

He was still bleeding. He had been bleeding ever since he'd turned back to human, but at least the red was flowing slower now. Still, maybe he'd die here, in a small cave somewhere in the Nibel mountains. He might as well, for now that he was back in human form, Hojo's collar enslaved him, and since he was so far from the mansion he was just about paralyzed. He could blink, breathe, twitch a finger, but that was it. He couldn't stop the blood from flowing, nor could he stop the whisperings in his head.

The demon was louder now, and bolder. It cursed him, bribed him, tried its everything to get Vincent to let it out again. But he didn't know how. It had named itself Chaos, and that was exactly what the black, winged creature left in its wake, chaos and mayhem. Homes turned into funeral pyres. Vincent could see the smoke with his slowly fading eyesight, rising from the ruins of Nibelheim. At least the fires had died down...

Red eyes turned from the smoky sky to stare at the body at his feet, the remains of late Alan Kaze. The boy's pale skin had been torn open, ribs broken, entrails eaten... the pale blue eyes stared up at the cave's ceiling while the cold wind moved the blond hairs ever so slightly. 'Just like Cloud,' Vincent thought, and wondered if the boy and Sephiroth had escaped. The General had been hit, was he alright? Had Chaos caught and devoured them, just like poor Alan? Vincent couldn't remember exactly what had happened while Chaos had been in control, but he got the feeling that his son and friend were still alive.

/It's just a question of time... now let me out!/

Vincent thought that he might actually do it, if he only knew how. Wouldn't anything be better than laying here paralyzed, slowly bleeding to death? He was so tired... but if Chaos was left out, who would be safe? Hojo had planted four demons into his mind, but apparently Chaos was the strongest. Maybe it even controlled the others. And if he'd let it out for long, maybe it would take full control of him, and Vincent Valentine would be nothing but a ghost in his own body.

/It wouldn't be so bad.../

'Shut up already...' Vincent thought and closed his eyes. He couldn't see much anymore, anyway. Everything was turning black, and the quiet howling of the wind between the Nibel peaks was fading as well. Everything was going away...

/Stay awake, you idiot!/ The voice sounded almost concerned, and the Turk smirked, opening his eyes slowly.

'Well now... could it be, that if I die, you won't be able to get out?' He could almost hear the echoes of his own thoughts, and Chaos's low, annoyed rumble inside his head.

'Could it be, that you're even more of a prisoner of this body than me?'

/Don't get poetic, Valentine, you're no good at it.../ The beast within growled.

'Everyone's a critic...' Vincent thought and tried closing his eyes again. That caused everything to start spinning out of control, so he quickly opened them again. He was feeling bad enough already without throwing up. Chaos growled inside his head, and he could almost see the beast, walking around frustrated like a caged animal. He ignored it as best as he could, and tried to recall the happier days.

His childhood hadn't been much, he'd been a loner, enjoying his own company more than that of the village kids. From his first slingshot, he'd been the perfect marksman, and as soon as he had been old enough, he'd left to Midgar, where he became a member of the elite group of Turks. He had been happy then, even if his job meant that he'd have to kill people. Still, he had been proud of what he was, and had been as honourable as a sniper could be considered to be. From what he'd heard, mostly from Hojo and his assistants, the Turks weren't elite anymore, nor barely a group. Just a small pack of bloodthirsty mutts, cruel and eager to obey the festering boil the President had become. Even if he could go back to Midgar, back to his old life, it wouldn't be the same, and the thought of it mainly made his stomach turn. He wasn't a Turk, not anymore.

The times in Nibelheim, with Lucretia. He had been the happiest then, with her. Those precious, short evenings and nights alone with her, and the small picnics on Sundays, up to the windy peaks of the Nibel mountains. The wind was always cold there, even in the middle of the summer, but that just meant that they'd have to sit very, very close to each other, and wrap the blanket very tightly around themselves, share body heat and...

Even if Vincent now suspected and feared that she hadn't really cared for him, had just used him, his feelings had still been strong and true, and that alone made the memories so good it hurt. She had been the first and the last thing in his thoughts every day, still was, and he tried to convince himself that she HAD cared, even just a little. If she hadn't, she wouldn't have bothered to go through the trouble of spending all her free time with him, she could have just seduced him, and he would have surrendered willingly, even if it would have torn his soul to do so.

But even if she had loved him, it didn't mean that the quiet voice in his mind was really her.

Vincent sighed and wondered how much blood he still had left. Breathing was much harder now than he remembered that it should be, and the smell of Alan's decaying body didn't make it any easier. Chaos was roaring something again, telling him to let it out, promising that there wouldn't be any pain if he'd just surrendered his body to it. The demon went so far as to promise him that it wouldn't hurt Sephiroth or Cloud, even if it killed everyone else in the world. But the ex-Turk wasn't stupid or delusional enough yet to believe it.

Something sharp was pressing against his back. It had been hurting a little ever since he'd woken up, but now that he couldn't even see much anymore, Vincent decided that he could die more comfortably, and moved just an inch. The slight movement, however small, tore something inside of him, and more blood spilled out as he could feel everything spin around, faster and faster. He could hear Chaos howling and raging, telling him to stay awake, but the Turk was too tired, he had lost too much blood. Everything went completely black.

* * *

Darkness. Something, or someone, was nudging him with something sharp. He didn't as much wake as he just started to feel things around himself. Cool mist, a smell, the sharpness... carefully, fearing what he would see, he opened his eyes.

"Well well well, if it isn't little Vincent Valentine..."

He could hear the sneer in the voice before he could make out the form. With a moan, Vincent sat up and covered his face with his hands, hoping that he hadn't seen what he just saw.

Black, glistening skin, easily a head taller than he was, well-muscled and eyes on fire was Chaos, standing in front of him and flexing his black and red wings. The mouth full of sharp teeth was twisted to a cruel smile, and the beast clearly enjoyed the fact that just looking at him made Vincent very uncomfortable.

"Welcome to your head, Valentine. You won't get out again."

The ex-Turk ignored the booming laughter that echoed all around him, and stood up. The world around him was grey and smoky, but the smoke had shapes that transformed as it moved, wrapped itself around him and disappeared. There was a dim, red-purplish light that illuminated him and Chaos, but the light's source was nowhere to be seen. He could smell blood and death, but that might have been Chaos as much as their surroundings. And the whispers...

The whispers were so much stronger here. It wasn't just Lucretia, he was sure he could recognize many voices from his past. Friends, family, old lovers... all the things they'd said that he remembered, or thought he'd forgotten. They were all replayed here, again and again, the voices drifting with the thick smoke, reminding him of the past long gone. The voices, everyone he'd known, his parents, family, all dead. It hadn't hit him, really, not until now. He had slept for 25 years, how many people who he'd known were still alive?

"You just gave up, didn't you? Loser."

Chaos's hissed words came from behind, and Vincent turned to face the monster who had bowed so that they were face to face. He could feel the hot breath on his face, and smell the fresh meat and blood on it. He wasn't really breathing, but he still smelled it, and tasted it in his dry mouth.

"You just gave up and now wait to die?"

Vincent closed his eyes and lifted a hand to the gunshot wound. It wasn't bleeding, not here, but he knew that outside the blood still flowed, taking him closer and closer to his death. He was dying, he would die in the very near future, and there was nothing he could do about it. Still, he wasn't sad.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you!"

Sharp, hot claws dug into his skin and jaw, roughly turning his head. The Turk opened his eyes and looked at the monster. Like a raging bull, steam was now coming out of Chaos's nostrils, and his eyes were blazing so violently that Vincent almost felt the heat.

"You thought it was real clever, didn't you? Dying? Locking all of us in here, ending our existence along your own?" The demon's face was so close to his that Vincent could feel the dark aura around Chaos.

"You don't seem too happy about it, so yes, I would call it 'real clever'." He answered, voice calm and uncaring. Any moment now, his body would just stop breathing, shut down all systems and release him. End this wretched existence. No matter what Chaos would do to him now would matter, as it would all be over soon.

Vincent kept thinking those comforting thoughts while Chaos roared at him. Sharp, razor-sharp claws dug deeper into his skin, and squeezed, just about breaking his jaw. He still stared at the demon's open maw but could see the smoke twisting around them, gathering into three forms that became clearer and more solid. The one coming from the left was purple, with a red mass of something resembling hair and two long, white horns on its head. On his right was a mismatched collection of limbs sewn together, electricity crackling around it. From behind, Vincent could hear the noise of a chainsaw roaring into life. And the part of his mind that wasn't convincing him of the approaching end to it all was telling him that none of the four had any sympathy for him. His last moments might be coming soon, but the ones before them would be painful.

/Lucretia, if you ever loved me, if you ever cared, give me strength to endure this.../ the Turk thought, feeling his blood flowing from the wounds Chaos was tearing across his throat. The purple thing was gnawing on his left shoulder, tearing the metal cover of his hand into shreds like it was tin foil. A crushing, heavy punch from the right broke a few ribs and punctured a lung, and the chainsaw was doing something very painful to his spine. Vincent endured it all stoically, not screaming once, not letting the pain show on his face. He just waited to die.

"NOO!" Chaos roared as a white light formed around the torn body between the four demons. Vincent looked up, at the white mist, and with his dimming eyesight he thought he could see her, smiling down at him. He let his own mouth twist into a small smile and closed his eyes. Finally.

The other three tried to hold him, wound him just one more time, but Chaos, unseen by Vincent, turned around, eyes burning with the fires of pure rage. "You bitch! You said he would be ours!"

The misty, slightly female shape shook its head and laughed, a cold, unemotional laughter that chilled even Chaos' anger. The beast growled under its breath and turned back to see the ex-Turk disappear into the white light.

The enraged screams and roars of the four beasts grew quieter as the white enveloped him completely, and Vincent spread his bleeding arms to welcome death. He could feel the pain in the wounds they had caused, but it wasn't as bad as it had been just a moment ago. The noises, the smell, the darkness, everything disappeared into the white light...

"...up, you piece of..."

"...ke up!"

"WAKE UP!"

The slap left his cheek tingling, and Vincent forced his eyes to open. His chest was on fire, the bullet wound closing but still hurting. He was cold, wet with blood, back aching with the coldness and hardness of his stony bed. This was not what the Promised Land was supposed to be like.

Rough hands grabbed his shirt and pulled him to a sitting position. The world spun around and the ex-Turk moaned and closed his eyes, trying to stay conscious.

"Get up you lousy piece of shit..." a voice growled and he was pulled up to his feet. Stumbling and feeling faint, Vincent was dragged out of the small cave, into the world of cold mountain winds and bright, painful sunshine. Reality was forcing its way into his tortured consciousness, shattering all hope of rest and peace.

"...no..." he covered his face with his hands, the metal cold against his skin, smelling even more metallic than usually, as it was covered with blood. His, Alan's, someone else's, he didn't really know. Or care. As when his watery eyes grew more used to the brightness of the world he recognized two of Hojo's assistants, accompanied by three Shin-Ra troopers.

He hadn't died. He wasn't free of this life, its pains, the demons and Hojo. He was alive, cured of the mortal wound, being delivered back into the scientist's hands. They dragged him down the mountain while his mind tried to comprehend the cruel trick destiny had played on him. Down the mountain, to the small valley, to the smell of burned wood and flesh... back to Nibelheim. When he saw the smoking small village again, Vincent wept and lost consciousness as the mansion came into view.

And in the darkness, they waited.

* * *

Hojo closed his PHS and grinned sadistically as his assistants dragged the unconscious man back to the laboratory. The third assistant, still bruised and bleeding from the punishment he'd received, cowered behind the scientist and stuffed a handkerchief into his bleeding nose.

"Sir, you didn't need to come, we can take care of the situation here..." the man said with a shaky voice as Vincent was dropped to the cold, stony floor before them. Hojo snorted and gave the man a look than shut his mouth.

"If you really believe that I'll leave YOU in charge of ANYTHING ever again, you're more of a fool than I thought you were, Malaka." The scientist hissed and turned to Vincent, nudging his prone body with a polished shoe. "You managed to really fuck everything up, not keeping a better eye on him. Why the hell didn't you put him to sleep? You knew that people would come here, didn't it occur to you that he'd try to get into contact with them? No, of course it didn't, not with your limited capacity of rational thinking... be glad that you're not completely useless."

The scientist nodded slightly to the two men who had carried Vincent in, and they grabbed the still-cowering Malaka and started to pull him towards the Mako tanks. When the man realized what was happening, he started to scream, kick and plead, but the men were stronger and he was soon locked in, his voice muffled by the thick glass, hands more used to scientific research barely making the transparent prison vibrate slightly.

Hojo chuckled at the sight and crouched next to Vincent. "One down, one to go..."

* * *

Laughter.

/I told you... he won't die that easy.../

Pain with red and black wings descended on him.

* * *

A.N: How can I be so cruel?! Poor Vincent. Tortured by Hojo when awake, and by the wicked four when unconscious...

Thank you for all the reviews!


	11. Chapter Nine

Warning: This chapter contains quite a lot of swearing. Be afraid! Don't own the charas or the voices in their heads.

* * *

**Chapter nine: It takes a fool to remain sane.**

Traveling alone and not needing rest, it had taken him less than a day to get to the reactor. With his unique strength Sephiroth had ran most of the way, stopping only to eat and drink every once in a while, and to kill any monster stupid enough to attack him. And now he was just outside the reactor.

He had thought about the situation a lot, what the voice in his head wanted him to believe, what Hojo wanted for him to think as the truth, and what Cloud tried to convince him of. They all had their reasons and ideas, but was one more reliable than the others? Only thing he was sure about was not to trust Hojo, that lesson he had learned years ago. He had to do what the deranged man said, participate in his twisted experiments, but he didn't have to believe a word coming from that mouth. That left Cloud and... her.

Cloud shared the General's hate and mistrust against the professor, but being Hojo's pet for so long, there was no knowing what ideas were the boy's own and which Hojo had planted. And what sort of influence had the Turk, Valentine, had on him? That led to the question if the Turk could be trusted, was he really who he claimed to be, or was it again something Hojo had made him believe? So he couldn't really trust the boy with his sanity, not when the blond wasn't playing with a full deck either.

So it was just her. The voice in his mind. Mother. Jenova. She who promised him the world. He'd never seriously wanted to rule the world, only as a scared child, in pain, alone in Hojo's clutches, forced to go through experiment after experiment, all the injections, and being soaked in Mako for hours and hours. Then he had dreamed of it, ruling the world, controlling everything. A world where he wouldn't have to be hurt, ever again, not by Hojo or his assistants, not by anyone who hated or loved him. He'd control everything, nothing could happen unless he wanted it to happen. Later on he'd realized the foolishness of such dreams, and forgotten them, even though he still strived to rule his own, secluded little world, the shadow of a life he'd managed to build for himself, away from the laboratory and Hojo, amongst the Soldiers and their training. It had kept him satisfied, enough that he didn't lose his mind. It had kept him sane, but left him craving for something. He wasn't sure what it was. Friendship, love or the likes, the weaknesses of humans? Why would he want to be weak? A history, knowledge of where he'd come from, besides Hojo's laboratory? The scientist had told him that his mother, Jenova, had died giving birth to him, and that had been his only clue to his past. Hojo had claimed once to be his father, but Sephiroth had never really believed it. What father would put his own child through so much suffering? Even just to make him so much better and stronger than the others?

She promised to tell him everything. And she was just inside this reactor, whispering to him, calling him to come and set her free. Calling. He didn't know whether he'd actually believe her, but he had to know what she had to say. When he'd talked with her he could decide what to believe in.

'If I don't go insane first...' the General thought and lifted his Mako-green eyes up to the door of the reactor.

* * *

"This is so fucking imbecilic..."

"...is that a word?"

"Asshole. I mean, what's the bleeding point? The town is destroyed, this shithole is full of monsters, he probably knows already we're after him... Ramuh's beard, he's not a complete moron, he's the friggin' General, he's not going to come here!" Reno swore some more under his breath and shivered as a chill ran down his spine. He wouldn't admit out loud that the place gave him the creeps, and blamed the chill on the cool wall he was leaning against. Rude's eloquent shrug annoyed him to no end.

"The professor wanted someone here. He's convinced Sephiroth will come-"

"Well let the bloody professor come here and freeze his balls off! I'm sick of this, Rude! There isn't even a proper BAR within a hundred miles! Fuck, probably more! How far is it to Rocket Town anyway?"

"...didn't you bring a bottle?" The taller man's voice was now slightly worried.

"...yeah, but I already drank it yesterday."

"Reno, you're so fucking imbecilic..."

"Asshole."

"I love you too."

They both fell silent and eyed their surroundings nervously as something growled. Reno turned his electric nightstick on with one hand as the other went to his gun. Rude adjusted his sunglasses and cocked his head as he heard something else. He was standing next to the door and barely avoided getting hit when it suddenly flew open and Sephiroth marched determinedly in, blocking Reno's nightstick with his seven-foot sword without even looking. The other hand smashed to Rude's temple, throwing the bald Turk on his back and knocking his lights out. Reno cursed and lifted his gun, but the Masamune turned quickly and just about cut his fingers off. Dropping the gun, the red-head howled in pain and fell to his knees.

Sephiroth stopped long enough to turn to him. "Stay out of my way, and you may live."

Reno nodded and watched as the black-clad man continued towards the inner parts of the reactor.

* * *

Once he was inside the reactor's core, Sephiroth marched straight up the stairs, ignoring the pods holding the monsters. He did notice that a few of them had opened since the last time he was here, only a few days ago, but the monsters were gone. Probably dead, or wandering somewhere in the mountains. He didn't care. The buzz, the whispers in his head were drowning out all the noises, making his head ache annoyingly. Mother called.

Stopping before the door at the end of the stairs, the General stopped and lifted a hand to his hips. The door was closed, and there was no visible lock or handle. With a frown he once again read the letters above it, forming her name. Jenova.

"Mother, I am here to see you. Please, open this door."

* * *

"Can't you make this tin can fly any faster?" Zax screamed as loud as he could to be heard over the howling wind and the roar of the engines. The blond man sitting in front of him flipped him the bird and muttered a few chosen words. The Soldier groaned and looked out at the mountains beneath them.

Pink. Seriously. What kind of a person would paint a plane pink?

The Nibel mountains passed underneath them quite fast, actually, he just wanted to be at the reactor NOW. He knew how fast Sephiroth could run, and was sure that the General was already there. He had no way of knowing what exactly was going on in there, but Zax could guess that it was nothing good.

* * *

/Son, let's take this planet back together./

* * *

"Are we there yet?"

"Fuck it ya Shin-Ra shit! I'm taking you there from the goodness of my bleedin' heart, but I swear, ask that damned question one more effin' time and I'll fuc-"

"I'll take that as a NO!" Zax covered his face with his hands and prayed to any god willing to listen that nothing would go really, really wrong before he got to his friend.

* * *

/I've thought of a great idea. Let's go to the Promised Land./

* * *

"Look! There's the damned reactor! I'll find a place to land!"

Zax just about hopped from the small plane named Tiny Bronco when the reactor and its bright red Shin-Ra sign came into view from behind a mountain peak. His attention was drawn from the scenery when the engines started to cough and the pilot swore loudly.

"Oh come on baby, don't fail me now sweetness! Hold onto your drawers and don't piss in 'em!"

* * *

/With my superior power, knowledge and magic, I should have become the ruler of this planet. Now it's your turn, son./

* * *

Reno had popped the Cure-materia from Rude's wristband and healed himself and the bald Turk as soon as the General was out of sight. Now they were both standing at the door again, and Reno was trying to phone Tseng, but wasn't having any luck.

"You Wutaian dipshit bastard, PICK IT UP!"

Rude opened the door just a crack, peeked out and closed it again. "Reno."

"What is the friggin' PHS good for if you don't answer it?"

"Reno!"

"What?"

"There is a pink, smoking airplane outside, with two people."

"...shit."

* * *

/You have the power, the knowledge and the magic. You will become a GOD to these puny humans./

* * *

"Have to admit, Highwind, that was one helluva landing! Is she ok?" Zax wanted to run to the reactor already, but the pilot was so worried about the small plane that he didn't have the heart to just leave without asking how she was doing.

'Oh great, now I'm doing it too...' the Soldier thought as the pilot glared at him and shook his head.

"She's a tough girl... gimme a few minutes, she'll be fine. Go get your buddy and we can get the hell out of here." The blond pilot said, searching the pockets of his blue jacket and green trousers for matches to light his cigarette with. Zax nodded and turned towards the building.

"Yes sir!"

* * *

/You are the chosen one. You have been chosen to be the leader of this planet./

* * *

Zax raced up the stairs to the door and threw it open, running straight in, not even caring about the monsters the place was crawling with. If they didn't get in his way, he didn't care.

"Stop!"

The Soldier stopped, surprised, and was even more surprised when he turned and saw Reno. Rude was staring at the red-head as well.

"Shoot first, ask questions later, remember?" The taller Turk growled quietly as the Soldier rubbed his neck and walked to them.

"Dude and Rude? What the hell?"

"That joke was old the first time you came up with it, asshole." Reno growled and put his gun away, much to Rude's dismay.

"Why are you here? Have you seen Seph around?"

The Turks looked at each other and Reno turned even his nightstick off. "We were ordered here to take the General to Midgar." Rude glared at the red-head from behind his glasses. "You've cooked up a hell of a mess."

"Us?" Zax pointed at his chest and shook his head. "Naw, we're just the victims here. Now, it would be really nice to chat with you, but I have to get going."

"No." Rude said and raised his fists.

Reno sighed and turned the nightstick back on. "You and the General will come to Midgar with us."

Zax shrugged and let the most wicked smile crawl on his face. "Oh I don't think so, not if you ever want to see old Tsengie again..."

The Turks looked at each other and Reno redialed his boss' number again. Zax's grin grew some more when the PHS in his pocket started to ring. The Turks looked on as he pulled the small device out and waved it in front of them before answering it.

"So. I'm going to go and see Seph now. Then we are going to leave on the plane outside. The two of you are going to stay here, and after we're gone, do what you want. Okay?" The Soldier said into the PHS. Reno closed his, and swore under his breath. Zax returned the device into his pocket.

"Where is he?" The red-head asked, nightstick off again as the two thought about the situation. Zax just shook his head.

"I'll let ya know." Then he turned and walked deeper into the reactor.

* * *

/Take back this planet from the humans, for the Cetra. Take it back for us, son./

* * *

"...we should have stopped him. He comes back with Sephiroth, we're screwed." Rude reasoned, as much to himself as to Reno.

"Shit. What do you think he's done to Tseng?"

"..."

"Me neither. What the fuck do we do?"

"..."

"Me neither."

"...shit."

* * *

/Come to me, son. Open your mind to me, Sephiroth. Together we will take this world back./

* * *

Zax ran towards the reactor's core, limping slightly with the cured knee but still fast. He stopped for a second when he got to the large room full of pods. The door at the end of the stairs was open. Sephiroth must have gone through.

"Oh crap..." he muttered, checked his sword and started the ascent. The Soldier hoped that he wasn't too late, that Sephiroth hadn't done anything irreversible, that the Turks were smart enough to stay out of this, that Highwind would get the plane working, that Cloud was alright back in Rocket Town, that Tseng hadn't managed to free himself, that the General was still sane, that "Stop it you idiot, hoping won't change anything..."

And then he was at the door.

His palms were sweating. He had fought in the Wutai war, he had been afraid, nervous, scared half out of his mind, but at least he had known then what was coming. He'd known that he'd have to fight soldiers, men, humans, and kill them. Kill in cold blood, gain land and power to his company. That was his job. But now he knew nothing of what he'd find beyond that door. Sephiroth would be there, but that was all he knew for sure. What the General would be like, that was another question.

Zax had seen Sephiroth fight numerous times, had sparred with him for fun, and seriously as well. But if he'd have to fight his General now, it would be for real. If the worst happened, he'd have to try to kill his best friend. And Zackery Lindeman was sure that that would be the end of the both of them. He was good, but the times when he'd actually won in their mock battles could be counted with the fingers of one hand.

"Yeah, so nothing to be nervous about, right?" He muttered and rubbed his neck, a nervous smile creeping on his lips. "Nope, nothing at all. No worries, no regrets. That's the way it goes."

'I should have kept in touch with mom and dad. I should have told Reno and Rude to get the hell out of here. I shouldn't have dragged Highwind into this. I should have done something the second Sephiroth started to act funny. I shouldn't have left him alone in the inn, let alone the mansion. I should have kissed Cloud when I had the chance. Heh. Yeah, no regrets at all, Zackery. Way to go, way to lead your life. And way to die.

'Well, hopefully not.'

Zax stepped into the room and looked up.

"Sephiroth."

A long, thick tube ran up to a small plateau with a huge tank, similar to the ones in Hojo's little laboratory. Inside this one was a headless torso of a woman. And in front of the tank sat Sephiroth, Masamune beside him, and a head in his hands. Zax swallowed, feeling almost nauseous, and stepped on the tube. "Seph, can you hear me?"

Another step, and the silvery head came up. The General stared down at him, cold eyes devoid of all emotion, face expressionless. The Soldier felt shivers run up and down his spine, and his mouth went dry.

"Oh. It's you." Sephiroth said quietly, but his voice echoed and carried over the quiet humming of machinery. "Traitor."

Zax's smile froze before it even reached his lips. He took another step and spread his arms. "Traitor? Seph, whad'ya mean? It's me, Zax."

"Hmm." Sephiroth lowered the severed head gently to the floor and got slowly up. Masamune was still down, but within reach. "What do you want?"

"...I want you to come with me, out of here. Shin-Ra has sent the Turks after us, Tseng almost killed Cloud and me, and Reno and Rude are outside. We have to figure out what to do." His voice was calm and reasoning. Zax wasn't used to being so serious, but he had to make Sephiroth listen. The General hardly took him seriously when he was fooling around.

Moving slowly, with cat-like grace, Sephiroth bent down to pick up his sword. Running a gloved hand over the sharp blade, his green eyes followed the black on silver. His movements were even slower when he sheathed the Masamune and picked up the severed head again.

"Do you believe him?"

"Huh? Who?" Zax was surprised by the sudden question. Sephiroth's movements had enchanted him for a second.

"That boy. Cloud."

"Uh, what do you mean, Seph? What should I believe?"

"That Valentine and… this Lucretia are my true parents."

Zax thought for a while before nodding. "Yeah, sure. I mean, even if we couldn't trust Cloud, you still look just like Vincent. Spittin' image of him. And... I believe him about that Lucretia, as well. Hojo's full of bull, you know that."

Sephiroth was calm. Sephiroth was very, very calm, and that worried him. He looked on as the General lifted the head up and looked at it straight in the eyes.

"Hmm."

/Don't listen to the traitor, son, he just wants to use and abuse you. He's one of THEM. The enemy. The ones who caused the Cetra's destruction./

"Seph? Come on, we better leave. Please?"

The General still stared at the head. Zax took a few steps closer and cleared his throat.

"Seph?"

"Hmm?" Sephiroth looked up and nodded. "Yes, Zackery, we'll be leaving right away."

Zax stared with disbelief and relief as the silver-haired man took out a green Materia from his armor and called out its power, but didn't release the spell. The General placed it gently on the ground, next to the tank, and stood up.

"Zackery?"

"Yeah?"

"Run."

* * *

"The point isn't that it wouldn't carry your sorry asses, the point is that I do not want Shin-Ra shit on MY plane! And I'm the fuckin' pilot, so you can wave your little stick as much as you want, poppy-head, you ain't getting on! And same to you, marbles!"

Reno and Rude glanced at each other and were just about to attack the foul-mouthed, cocky pilot when the reactor's door flew open and Zax ran down the stairs like a headless chocobo, Sephiroth following more gracefully, but still very fast.

"Highwind! Start the engine already!" Zax screamed and the blond pilot jumped into the plane. The Soldier dived in the next second, and the General was right behind him. The Turks didn't want to hang around to find out what had made the two most powerful men in Shin-Ra's army run like that, but jumped on a wing each and held on for dear life.

"Come on, baby, don't fail me now!" The Captain muttered lovingly when the engine wouldn't start, and ignored the urge to relieve Zax from his teeth as the Soldier kept telling him to fly already.

"What the FUCK is THAT?" Reno screamed when he saw the severed head on Sephiroth's lap. The General just glared at him icily and held on when the engine finally started and the whole plane started to shake.

"FLY!" Zax screamed, staring at the reactor. Any second now...

"Shut the FUCK UP!" Highwind screamed back as the Tiny Bronco picked up speed and turned towards the end of the cliff. The Turks followed Zax's frozen gaze and could just make out the first explosion inside the reactor, just as the plane dropped off the cliff. The explosion was followed by another one, and another, and soon they lost count as the whole building turned into a large fireball.

"...shit..." Zax muttered and turned his attention to the fact that they were going down instead of up.

Highwind was cursing and pleading with the plane as if his words would be enough to get the engines to work properly. Reno was screaming his head off, holding on to the wing so tight that they'd have to pry him off with a crowbar. IF they survived. Rude had lost his sunglasses to the wind, and his dark brown eyes stared at the approaching ground, but he never made a sound. Sephiroth sighed and muttered a few words, and soon the wind-spell caught the plane and lifted it up, over the mountain tops, onto a strong, natural wind. The shaking stopped and their captain hooted as the engines started to whirr like new.

"Yeah! That's my baby!"

"...I think I'll have a heart-attack now, if no one minds..." Zax muttered and turned to look at Sephiroth. "Wow. A wind spell? I'd never have thought of that..."

The General turned green eyes on him and smirked. "That is why I'M the General."

"Show-off. Reno, SHUT UP!"

* * *

In Zax's opinion, it didn't take nearly as long to get back to Rocket Town as it had taken to get to the reactor. The flight had been uneventful and quiet after Reno had stopped screaming and concentrated just on holding on. And if he ignored the severed head that stared at him every time he turned to look at the General, he could pretend that Sephiroth seemed just like his normal self.

Rude hopped off his wing the second the Tiny Bronco stopped on the outskirts of the town. Reno was a bit slower on letting go, and was shaking visibly when he finally slid to the ground. His knees gave out and the thin Turk sat down gracelessly, wrapping his arms around himself.

"...fuck..." he muttered through clattering teeth and blue lips, frozen by the cold winds.

Zax hopped out next, followed more slowly by Sephiroth and their beaming captain. The blond man patted the plane lovingly before pulling his long spear out of the cockpit.

"All right, you turds... oh, sorry, Turks..." with one swift movement he knocked Reno on the head with the blunt end of the weapon and butted Rude in the stomach. The red-head hit the ground just as the older Turk got the same anesthetic.

"What did you do that for?" Zax asked, hand instinctively going to the hilt of his sword. Sephiroth just watched with a raised eyebrow.

"Watch it, Soldier-boy, or your ass is next." The pilot growled and pulled a cigarette from the pack he carried in his cockles. "Don't want them running around the place. Besides, haven't you ever heard of collecting a whole set?"

Zax had to laugh as the older man pulled some rope from the plane and tied the Turks. When he was done, he flung Reno's thin frame over his shoulder and motioned for the Soldier to carry Rude. Zax did as he was told and they started towards the town, the General following, still carrying the severed head gently, deep in thought.

* * *

A.N: Most of Jenova's lines are borrowed straight from the game. The title is from a song, by the same name, by a band called The Ark.

'kiss Cloud' ? Oh, Zax... well, they ARE my favourite couple... X3

No updates for a coupla weeks, methinks. I haven't written the story much farther than this yet, and I doubt I'll get a chance to do much to it while on holiday. I'm just gonna sleep. Sleep is good. And see the Two Towers. Again. Ents! Mwah. Happy holidays, people!


	12. Chapter Ten

Talk talk talk, blah blah blah. There. This chapter in short! XD Cid's still around, so there will be swearing.

Thank you for all the reviews, and to you who've made it this far!

* * *

**Chapter ten: Speak & Spell.**

**-**

Blood... smoke... and pain, so much pain... sharp claws and teeth... tearing, hurting... tears, sobbing... no hope... never again any hope...

"Vincent!" Cloud cried and sat straight up, startling the two women in the room. He didn't see them at first, only darkness and the faint glow of white, bloody teeth, but the image faded soon, leaving a dimly lit room and two worried faces peering at him, and the pains in his own body.

"Vuh-vincent?" He called again, quietly, as his body started to shake with the tears that spilled out of his eyes. The shaking made his back feel as if it was on fire, but he tried to ignore it as the bed he was on squeaked slightly, and the mattress tilted as someone sat next to him. His first instinct was to run, or at least cower away, for he was sure that they'd hurt him. But then the blond was suddenly pulled into a warm embrace, and a gentle hand ran through his hair.

"Shh, my little chocobo... it's all right... shh..."

"...mom?" Cloud whispered as the words reached his brain. There was softness against his body, golden hairs tickling his face, the familiar smell of her sunshine hair... "MOM!" He threw his hands around her and burst into tears, hugging her and hoping that this wasn't just a dream. The nightmares in Hojo's prison had often brought her to him, but always she had disappeared or suffered a fate worse than death, sometimes even in his hands.

But the dreams had never been this real, her quiet voice hadn't had that familiar soft tone in it, and Cloud slowly recalled that he wasn't in Nibelheim anymore, he had gotten out of the mansion and left it all behind. He didn't know where he was or how it was possible, but this was real. She was real, and he was safe.

The brown-haired woman with glasses smiled and left the room quietly, leaving the door slightly open. She stayed just outside, though, listening but giving them a little peace. Cloud barely noticed it as he held on tight, wanting to forget everything that had happened in the last few years.

"Oh my child, my son, my little sunshine... I've missed you so... where have you been?"

Her endless litany of soothing whispers eased his pain and fear, and Cloud forced his breathing even and calmed down enough to tell her the basics.

"In the mansion... I followed a monster there, and got caught. They kept me in the... in the cellar, in a tube. I wanted to get out, I tried to, but they just kept hurting me..." The words flowed out of his mouth quietly, and he still held onto her, tight, face buried to her warm shoulder. She held him back, hands on his lower back, careful to avoid the small holes and the half-cured bullet wounds on his shoulder and just below the plug-ins. The pain didn't matter to him, he was safe now, away from Hojo and the experiments.

"And then Vincent was there... he taught me to fight, and took care of me, and got me out... he, and the General, and Zax... and, and Hojo's helpers burned Nibelheim, and Vincent disappeared, and--" he hiccupped and quieted for a while, just enjoying the warmth and the feeling of safety.

"Shh Cloud... Everything's fine now, I have you back. Don't worry..."

He didn't dare to believe that, not completely, but hearing it did make him feel better. "Wuh-where's Zax? Did he... go after Sephiroth? How did I get here?"

"The Soldier?" The brown-haired woman asked from the door. Cloud nodded, and his mother turned to look at the other woman. "He left with the Captain, to find the General. Don't worry about them, the Captain can take care of anything." Her voice was full of confidence in the man she spoke of, and she nodded as if there wouldn't even be any sense in doubting their success.

The blond finally pushed himself away from his mother's arms, but stayed within her reach, gaining comfort and strength from her presence. "Who are you?" He asked the woman. She smiled and bowed her head.

"I am Shera, I live here with the Captain."

"Who's the Captain?"

"He's more or less the head of this town. A pilot called Cid Highwind. He was supposed to be the first man in space, but... because of me, his dreams were crushed." Shera lowered her head and turned to look to her right. Cloud cocked his head as he heard what she had heard. A thumping noise, like someone was kicking a wall, somewhere inside the house.

"He must be awake again." Shera muttered, grabbed a baseball bat from inside the small bedroom, and left. Cloud looked at his mother.

"Who's awake?"

"That Turk, Tseng. They brought him here, to keep him out of the way, when they brought you as well. The Captain had used a cure-spell on both you and the Soldier. But you should get some more rest now, sweetheart. There's nothing we can do until the Captain returns." She now had the mother-knows-best tone in her voice, and Cloud smiled a bit when he started to feel tired straight away.

"With Zax and Sephiroth?"

"...yes. Sleep now." She helped him back down on the soft mattress, and sat by his side until he fell asleep, humming and stroking his hair.

* * *

"Shera! Damnit, get some tea ready! Is that fucking Turk still in the garage?"

The brown-haired woman ran from the bedroom, closing the door almost completely behind her as she heard the backdoor open just before the yelling and heavy footsteps broke the quiet of the small house.

"Yes, Captain!" She called back and poured some water into a kettle. Turning around when she heard the footsteps stop, she almost dropped the kettle as she saw three men and what they carried.

Reno was unceremoniously dumped on the floor, but Zax was a bit more careful with Rude. The pilot went to the door leading from the kitchen to the garage and peered in.

"Heh. Had to put him to sleep, eh? Well what are you waiting for, the water isn't going to bloody boil itself! And you, Soldier-boy, gag the big guy and put him in there, I'll take care of poppy here."

Shera blushed and nodded, turning quickly back to what she was doing. Zax looked around for something to gag Rude with, although his eyes kept wandering to the bedroom door again and again. Cid cursed and tossed him an old scarf, tying another around Reno's head. Sephiroth still stood at the end of the hallway to the kitchen, seemingly not caring what was going on in the crowded room. His green eyes snapped immediately up when the bedroom door opened and a blonde woman stepped out when the Turks were being dragged to the garage. She looked around and her blue eyes grew large when she noticed him.

"Hey, Ms. Strife! How's Cloud doing?" Zax asked with a wide smile when he returned to the kitchen. The blonde tore her eyes away from Sephiroth and smiled at the Soldier, twisting her hands nervously.

"He's better, thank you, and sleeping. He was asking about you, and..." her eyes went back to Sephiroth again, and the General stared back, trying to figure out what the emotion in those blue eyes was. It wasn't exactly the usual fear, more like respect and awe, with... recognition? She looked away the next moment, though, so he didn't get a chance to study her expression better, but made a mental note to at least keep an eye on the woman.

Zax went to take a peek into the dark bedroom as the blonde woman went to help Shera with setting the table. The Soldier couldn't see much, only the slight, unmoving form on the bed. He didn't get a chance to go in as Cid walked behind him, grumbling and pulling out a chair.

"Sit down and drink your goddamn tea." The Captain said with a rough voice and everyone obeyed, finding a place around the small table. Zax took the seat on the Captain's left side, and Sephiroth sat down to his left, keeping the head on his lap. Shera poured them all some of the boiling, sweet smelling liquid and sat next to Cid, on his right. Ms. Strife sat between her and the General, carefully keeping her eyes away from the silver-haired man.

The very awkward silence was broken only by the tinkling of spoons against the porcelain as they all stared down at their own cups, not knowing what to say and to whom. Sephiroth didn't feel like talking and the others tried their best not to mention the head on his lap, its vacant eyes peeking just over the tabletop. It was disturbing, to say the least, and finally the Captain couldn't take it anymore. He took a long sip from his teacup, tossed the spoon on the table and glared at the General.

"Okay, what the hell is it with that fucking head? Does it keep you from losing your keys or what?"

Shera just about choked on her tea, and Ms. Strife put her cup down as her hand suddenly started to shake. Zax mentally readied himself to stop Sephiroth from cutting Highwind into two with the Masamune, but the General just lowered his cup calmly to the table and looked slowly up, raising one eyebrow.

"Excuse me?"

"The head. On your lap. You know, that bluish thing that keeps staring at me? What the fuck is it?"

Sephiroth looked down at his lap and then back up at Highwind. "It is my mother. Please do not be so crude about her."

The answer silenced everyone, they just stared at the General, dumbstruck. Cid's cigarette was hanging from his lower lip, just about to fall, while the women looked away. Zax scratched his neck, very worried about his friend.

"Umm, Seph, I guess they'd appreciate it if you... uh, didn't bring... her. To the table. You know. Bad manners and all that." The Soldier said, and then he had to fight back the insane giggles that threatened to escape from his throat at the absurdity of the whole situation. His General just shrugged and lowered the head to the floor before picking up his teacup again.

"All you needed to do was ask."

Cid's cigarette finally fell to his lap, and the Captain let out a loud string of curses, slapping the material of his pants before they caught fire. The interruption relieved the tension in the room a bit, and Ms. Strife excused herself and went back to the bedroom, glancing at Sephiroth quickly before closing the door. The General emptied his cup and nodded his thanks to Shera.

"Thank you. I'm going to talk with Tseng now, if you'll excuse me." He stood up, not waiting for an answer, picked up the smiling head of Jenova and went to the garage. Highwind cursed and took his cup into a shaking hand.

"Fuck. Empty. Shera, where's the bloody bottle, I need something stronger than tea..."

Zax raised a hand and smiled. "Me too, please!"

* * *

Someone was poking him. It hurt.

Tseng finally forced an eye open, swearing mentally at the pain in his chaffed wrists, ankles and around his mouth. The lumps in his head must have been huge, the way they hurt. Damned bitch. A baseball bat? It was efficient, but there were many, many more subtle and less painful ways to put someone to sleep. He should know, he'd used most of them. A baseball bat hurt. A lot.

The swirling colours in front of him finally stopped and took the form of a head. Dangling in the air, and smiling at him. The Turk's eyes flew open and he let out a muffled yell, trying to back away but only hitting the wall. The head disappeared and he closed his eyes with relief.

"Tseng."

The voice was familiar, one that he'd known for years, known and trusted, and now betrayed. He opened his eyes and saw Sephiroth, crouched in front of him, staring with those feline eyes, head cocked to the side a bit. He frowned as he looked at the strange expression on the General's face. It was as if the man was curious, watching him for the first time, even though they'd known each other for over a decade now. The green eyes were moving slowly all over him, and he could feel them on his skin. Feel the strange look in them, a blend of cool calculation, curiosity and, quite possibly, madness.

"Mmgh."

A gloved hand rose, and something made the Turk want to get away from the touch, but he was frozen to the spot when Sephiroth tugged the gag out of his mouth. He opened and shut his mouth a few times, dark eyes fixed on the General and the head next to the man, and licked his dry lips.

"Sephiroth."

"Tseng. Fancy meeting you here. Zackery told me you tried to kill him."

"Orders are orders."

Sephiroth raised one eyebrow at the quiet comment, and nodded after a moment. Tseng's eyes kept wandering over to the severed head, even though he wanted to keep an eye on the silver-haired man, unsure of what he'd do.

"Yes, orders are orders. Still, they don't really matter. You obey them all your life, without question, without objection, yes sir, no sir, seven times, sir, and apparently, it's still not enough."

The Turk watched, worried and more than a little confused, as Sephiroth stood up and walked around in front of him, seemingly talking to himself, but loud enough that he could hear every word.

"You do exactly as you are told. Yes Mr. President. You fight his wars, win battles, kill the enemy, completely destroy the enemy. Win him more land and glory than he could dream of. And you do it without question, because that's what you're expected to do.

"Yes professor. You do everything he says, let him pump you full of poisons and medicines, drugs and blood. He orders you into a tank full of Mako for a few days, and you do it, because that's what you're told to do. That's what you've always done. Yes sir. He drains you of blood, of humanity, of feelings, all but fear, because that never really goes away. You're always afraid of more pain, so you do exactly what you're told to avoid it.

"All your life, that's all you do. Obey. Yes sir, Heidegger, sir. Train the cadets and the Soldiers, make them into emotionless killing machines, and gods help them if they still dare to feel something when you're done. The men may have lives, but all Shin-Ra has to do is lift a finger and the army will jump."

The General stopped his walking, turned to the Turk and pointed at him with a finger, rage and futility burning in his eyes. The head dangled in the other hand, swinging slowly from side to side.

"All you are is a leader of a group of mindless sheep, following you to the slaughterhouse without question. Then there's no more war, no more land to be won, no more glory to be gathered with battle. Other people do the training for you, and all you do is watch and sign papers. Watch and sign papers, Tseng. That's what following orders got me. I've given them everything they've ever asked, done anything they've asked of me, and now... what were your orders? What are you supposed to do with me, if you were to capture me? Kill me? Take me to Midgar? Tell me, Tseng, if I surrender, what will happen?"

Tseng stared at Sephiroth, stared and wondered which answer would let him live. He decided to go with the truth.

"I was ordered to bring you back to Midgar, alive. Or at least find out where you are. Hojo was sure you'd be at the reactor, or somewhere around Nibelheim. We were ordered to search the whole area. Kill the escaped specimens, if we see them, or bring them to Hojo. Kill the Soldiers and troopers with you, unless they come quietly. If so, then question them before killing. Apparently Hojo had some big plan concerning you and something in Nibelheim, and he's not happy that it didn't work out."

"What plan? What is he up to?" Sephiroth asked, crouching back down in front of him. Tseng shrugged, as much as he could, with hands tightly bound behind his back.

"That I don't know, but judging from his reaction when it failed, when everything went wrong in Nibelheim, whatever 'everything' is, it's something big. He thinks that it's still possible to continue whatever it is, as long as you're alive and brought to him. And that's what I'm here for."

The General stared pointedly at the thick ropes. "Yes, I can see how well your mission is going."

"I don't suppose you'll let me free and come along quietly?" Tseng asked, a small smile trying to make its way to his thin lips. Sephiroth snorted and stood up.

"I'm afraid not. Hojo may have his plans, but I have a few of my own. I'm not his little puppet anymore, nor the President's. If the Captain decides to let you go, you can tell Shin-Ra to stick his whole empire where the sun don't shine." He bent down and pulled the gag back over Tseng's mouth. "And rotate." With that, he turned off the lights, left the garage and closed the door, and darkness fell over the three Turks.

* * *

After Sephiroth disappeared into the garage and Shera had filled their cups with whiskey, Zax and Cid just sat at the table and stared at it. Shera left the room and they heard the back door open and close. Highwind sighed and swore quietly, gulping down half of the strong drink. Zax drank all of his at one go, knowing that it wouldn't affect him, but at least the taste was relaxing. Not much could get past the Mako, and right now that really annoyed him. He wanted to get drunk, really, completely and utterly shitfaced, to forget everything that had happened in the last few days. Everything since they entered the Nibelheim Reactor for the first time. Everything since they entered Nibelheim.

"So, uh... thanks for everything." The Soldier finally said, wanting to hear something else than the beats of his own heart and the quiet murmur from the garage. 'I hope Seph doesn't kill the poor bastards.'

Highwind nodded and continued to stare at the cup.

"What are you going to do with the Turks?"

"Fuck. Wish I knew." The Captain sighed and leaned back, lifting his blue eyes to Zax. He couldn't have been much older than the Soldier, maybe ten years or something, but at that moment the pilot looked very old and tired. "This is all so fucking useless, you know that? Ever since the space program got botched, all I've done is sit on my slowly widening ass, drink, and tinker with the rocket and the Bronco. What the fuck for? Hoping that the Prez will one day wake up and say to himself, 'I wonder whatever happened to that Highwind-fellow. Such a good man. Maybe we should start the space program again.' Yeah, shit, like that'll happen. All he cares about is the fucking Mako, and money. Money, moola, dinero. That's all our lives are worth to him, kid. Figures on a piece of paper. Paper to wipe his fat, stinking ass on. We're nothing to him. If we're dead, we're even cheaper." The blond got up and went to the cupboards, searching until he found the bottle and brought it back to the table. Zax shook his head when he was offered another drink. It wouldn't affect him anyway, and it looked like Cid needed it much more than he did.

After filling his cup and taking a sip, the pilot leaned back in his chair, pulled out a cigarette and lit it. "All I've been hoping for, the last years, is that the space program would be started again and I'd be the first man in space. Messing around with you fuckheads and the Turks made sure that it'll never happen."

Zax was about to open his mouth to apologize, but Highwind waved him quiet. "Don't. It's no use, I don't blame ya. Hell, it's been the most fun I've had in years. If anyone, I blame myself. I should have realized it looong ago. Shit. If I want to go to space, I hafta do it on my own. No use expecting anything from Shin-Ra. The Turks..." he rolled his eyes and drew a long breath from his cig.

"The fucking Turks... I guess I hafta let them go, eventually. Then get the fuck out of here, at least for a while. Take the Bronco out, check out some new sights. Who knows, maybe I'll hit the jackpot somewhere and get enough cash to get my sorry ass up amongst the stars..."

"Yeah, hope it works out for you..." Zax said and smiled. The Captain raised an eyebrow and chuckled.

"The optimism of youth... as if I'm any better, the old fucker that I am." he started the next cigarette from the old one and nodded towards the Soldier. "So what are you and your loony General going to do? And that blond thing there?" He pointed towards the bedroom, and Zax shrugged.

"I don't know, I hope Seph'll have some idea when he gets out here... Shin-Ra wants me and Cloud dead, so I guess going to Midgar might not be that smartest move to make. Shit, I don't know. I feel like I'm half falling off the wagon all of the time. I'm not even sure what the hell exactly is going on, and how we all fit into it."

"That's life for ya. Sure you don't want any?" Cid offered him the bottle again, but Zax shook his head. The blond shrugged, emptied his cup and took the bottle back to the cupboard. He stretched and looked around the room. "I need a bit of fresh air... keep the house standing while I go and check on things, ok?"

"Yeah, sure." The Soldier nodded and Highwind left through the front door without another word. Left alone in the kitchen, Zax fiddled with his teacup for a while, listening to the quiet voices coming from the garage. He couldn't make out the words, but thought he recognized Sephiroth's low but clear and melodic voice. Fighting the urge to eavesdrop, he looked around the room until his ears caught another noise, a quiet humming, coming from the bedroom. Curious, he stood up and went to the door. He'd almost forgotten what had happened to the blond boy, being so worried about Sephiroth, but now he realized that he didn't actually know how Cloud was doing. The boy's mother had said that he was fine, but there'd be no harm in seeing for himself, right? He knocked quietly and opened the door enough to poke his spiky head in.

"Ms. Strife? Is it alright to come in?"

The blonde woman looked up at him from the chair next to the bed. Zax recognized the blue, woolly shirt she was fixing, the one he'd bought for Cloud, that had been ventilated with bullets. She smiled and nodded, and the Soldier stepped noiselessly in, closing the door.

The small room was lit only with a few candles, and the curtains were pulled in front of the window. The bed was underneath the window, and Cloud had curled up to a little ball on it, asleep, with his back to the room. The blanket was only up to his hips, so Zax could see the plug-ins and the bandages below them and around the left shoulder. The second bullet had gone straight through, just below the breastplate, barely missing the spine. He had been sure, after Cid had slapped and cured him awake, that Cloud wouldn't make it with the injuries and blood-loss, even if he was cured, but somehow the boy had survived.

He walked closer and leaned over the sleeping Cloud, looking at his pale face. "Is he really ok? No problems or anything?"

"Yes," the blonde whispered back, smiling slightly. "The materia the Captain used saved his life. He's as fine as can be expected. And how's your leg, Zackery?"

"Oh, fine, Ms. Strife. Aches a bit, but it's no problem. I've been hurt worse."

"Please, call me Ame." She said and Zax nodded. He glanced curiously at the woman, surprised how alike she and her son actually were. They both had the same, yellow-blonde, spiky hair, large, sky blue eyes and delicate features, although he guessed that Cloud was still so young that he looked girlish because of that.

Ame must have noticed his curiosity, as she put the shirt down and looked up at the Soldier. "Something bothering you, Zackery?"

"Uh, no." Zax said with a smile and scratched his neck. "Just realized that you two really look a lot alike." He pulled the other chair quietly closer to the bed and sat down, facing her as Ame nodded with a smile.

"Yes, he's always looked like me... when he was younger I wished that he'd take after his father, that I'd have more to remember him by... and I suppose it would have been easier on Cloud, as well, not looking so feminine. Now I'm just too happy to have him back to care. When he... when they came and told me he'd died in the mountains, I thought I'd die too. I had no one else, nothing to life for. But I'm glad I did live to see this day, see him again. Nothing else matters besides having him alive again." She smiled, almost in tears as she reached over to touch Cloud's hair lightly. "I loved his father so much, but I'm not sure if even that compares with how much I care for Cloud. Having a child of your own... do you have children, Zackery? No, I guess not, you're still so young..."

Zax blushed and shook his head, laughing sheepishly. "No, no kids, Ms. Strife. I mean Ame. And..." the Soldier looked down at his hands, embarrassed a bit. "I guess I haven't been the best kid, either. I haven't been in touch with my folks for about five years now... not since I left to Midgar. I've probably written them one letter... but then again, they haven't kept in touch either." He shrugged and smiled a bit. "Still, someone has to do the first move, right, and it might as well be me?"

Ame smiled and nodded. "It takes courage to admit you're wrong. I think that your parents will love you, even if you don't keep in touch, but don't let yourself slip away from them. I always told Cloud that he could always come home, no matter what he'd done, no matter what happened. That there'd always be a home for him."

"That's sweet..." Zax said with a wide grin, even though he was a bit jealous and sad, hoping his own mother would have told him the same thing, in stead of just wishing him a safe journey when he'd left small Gongaga for Midgar. He'd never thought about it much, figuring that that was just the way his parents were, but he couldn't even remember one time when they'd told him that they loved him. He knew it, of course, they were always good to him, unless he had just pulled one of his more stupid stunts, but even then he'd known that they cared. They just never said it. It would have been nice to hear.

"So much has happened lately that I just suddenly realized that I might not get another chance, you know? I really should visit them. I always figured there'd always be time, they'll always be there and I'll have enough time some day. Maybe there won't be. I have to, you know... seize the day." The Soldier said more to himself, but Ame nodded and patted him on the back of his hand.

"It's not too late yet."

He nodded and they both fell silent. Zax couldn't remember when he'd last thought such serious thoughts, if he ever had. Of course he'd always known, since the moment he decided to become a Soldier, that his death would come probably sooner than later. He'd seen so much death in the Wutai war that he could write books about it, but it had never occurred to him that his parents or the rest of quiet Gongaga would die. He'd always thought they'd go on forever.

He had been hurt, Sephiroth had been hurt, his friends had been hurt and even died in the war, but that was war and that happened in wars. This wasn't war, but his new friend was hurt and Sephiroth was losing his mind. He himself had been hurt, by people he thought were on his side. They had all been screwed by people that were supposed to be on their side. A whole town had burned down. If all this could happen, there was no guarantee that his parents or home were any safer.

The quiet moment broke as they could clearly hear a door open and close. Zax cocked his head, trying to figure if it was Sephiroth, Cid or Shera who walked around the kitchen. The steps were quiet and slow, and there was no other noise. Must be Seph, the Soldier figured, and wondered if he should go and talk with the General, make sure that the silver-haired man wouldn't just leave. But Shera was in the backyard, Cid out in the front, and the town full of people not entirely convinced that Sephiroth hadn't burned Nibelheim. He couldn't get out without being seen, so Zax breathed deep and tried to relax. Still, he couldn't stop wondering what was going on in Sephiroth's head, and why the change in the man scared him so. He thought himself a coward, but he just couldn't go and face the General. Not right now.

* * *

Sephiroth finally stopped in front of a small window in the kitchen and looked out into the deepening evening. The townspeople were still up and moving, reluctant to go to their homes and rest in case something happened and they would miss it. The General figured that much didn't happen in such a small and lonely town, so any distraction from the daily routines was embraced and enjoyed fully, even if the distraction was the burning down of a neighbour village and the death of half of its dwellers. And they all blamed him. Zax had told him what he'd heard Tseng tell the villagers, but Tseng was a Turk, one of Shin-Ra's men, as was Sephiroth. Of course he'd defend the General. Most of all, they were outsiders, so nothing they said could be trusted.

"I take one step outside, that gathering will turn into a lynch mob..." the silver-haired man muttered to the severed head in his hands. He looked down, into its vacant eyes and shook his own head slightly. "So in stead I stay in and talk to you." He thought about the situation and shrugged.

"Still, beats watching and signing papers."

Turning away from the window, he started to wonder just how much the voice in his head was controlling him. The words he'd spoken to Tseng, they were his memories, his fears and frustrations, but the words had been more to assure HIM of his life's wrongness than the Turk. She'd dug up all the half-forgotten memories and made him relive them again, to realize just how he had been wronged.

"But why? What do you want? What's in it for you?" He stared into the empty eyes. Maybe it was a trick of the lights, but he thought he could see a sparkle in them.

/My son... find a place where the traitors won't hear us, and I'll tell you anything you want to know.../

* * *

A.N: Zax isn't the only one half falling off the wagon... I've no friggin' idea where this is going...

New timetable at school, way too many classes and projects, so can't guarantee a new chapter every week. -Sigh- Still, beats work.

Chapter ten already? Sheesh. Go me. Review? Please? :3


	13. Chapter Eleven

...if Sephy had a last name, the title would work more Being John Malkovich -styley... no strange corridors here, though... Don't own the characters or the places, but I do have something to do with this twisted plot.

Warning! Still mucho swearing, and some disturbing violence towards the end. Well it disturbs me. Violence baaaad. Swearing goooood.

* * *

**Chapter eleven: Being Sephiroth.**

**-**

Getting through the back door without making any noise was easy, and he didn't even have to hide in the shadows to get past Shera. The woman was tinkering with something that looked like an airplane engine on steroids, and Sephiroth guessed she wouldn't notice him even if he told her where he was going.

'Where am I going?' He walked to the left, past the small bedroom window, and stopped at the corner of the house. He could hear the voices coming from the front of the house, people gossiping and undoubtedly cursing Shin-Ra. In their eyes he belonged to Shin-Ra, and even that was a big enough crime without being blamed for burning Nibelheim.

/Do not let them see you, my son. They are no match to you, only a distraction from more important things./

Sephiroth took a deep breath and looked around. Not far, he could see the dark shape of the rocket that loomed over the small town.

Everyone was busy talking, speculating what would happen next. No one would be at the rocket, and he couldn't think of a reason why the villagers would even go to it at such late hour. Highwind seemed paranoid enough to stay close to the Turks and his other guests. The rocket would be perfect.

No one noticed as he walked to the mountain of metal and climbed the long ladders, Jenova traveling safely inside his jacket. The bridge leading into the rocket was metallic and his footsteps echoed quietly in the dark, the noises of the town not reaching this place.

The rocket was dark inside, illuminated only by the glow of the moon that reached the corridor. Sephiroth didn't need much light, though, he could see almost perfectly in the darkness, and what he didn't see he sensed. He didn't have any trouble making his way to the left, to a door that lead into the cockpit. He left the door open so that a little light entered the dark space, and sat in the pilot's seat.

The air was heavy and used, full of bitterness and lost hope. Sephiroth snorted at his poetic thoughts but couldn't deny that the entire rocket seemed to be a cemetery of broken dreams, a tomb for the years spent working on it, seemingly in vain, as the rocket still stood on the ground. He could remember the fuss about going into space, some five years ago. Everyone had been so excited, but then something had gone wrong, the launch was cancelled, Shin-Ra stopped funding the project and everyone forgot the rocket and the idea of going into space. At least everyone in Midgar, with the exception of Palmer, the head of the whole space project. But the people of Rocket Town hadn't obviously forgotten. The rocket was in good condition, the cockpit was clean and everything shone in the light of the moon and the stars. Almost as if he were sitting in a room made of ice.

"This is perfect..." he muttered and turned his attention back to the head in his hands. "All right, we're alone. Talk."

* * *

"...mom?"

"Hey Cloudy... she went to eat a bit, I promised to keep an eye on you."

Cloud opened his eyes and saw a smiling Zax sitting on a chair by the bed. He smiled back and lifted his head slightly from the pillow.

"Hi... could you help me up?" Cloud was laying on his stomach, and it was starting to feel uncomfortable in his chest and shoulder. Zax nodded and very carefully took his right hand, sliding his own under the boy's chest.

"Heeere we go..." The Soldier pulled the boy up a bit and helped him to sit. "That better?"

"Yeah... thanks." Cloud pulled the blanket around his shoulders to keep warm, and to cover his injuries. Zax took a small bowl from the table beside the bed and offered it to the boy.

"Here, have some broth."

"No thanks, I'm not hungry..." Cloud muttered and wrinkled his nose at the smell of it. Zax lifted an eyebrow and sniffed at the chicken broth, which smelled delicious to him.

"Sure? It must've been a while since you last ate."

"Yeah, I'm sure. Sorry, it just smells so... ugh... I don't think I could eat a drop of it." The smell was making him almost nauseous. The Soldier shrugged and set the bowl back on the table.

"No problem. I'd better tell your mom, she told me to get her if you woke up... but... can I ask you a question?"

"Yeah." Cloud nodded, and watched curiously as Zax tried to ask something that clearly bothered him. If the question was that bad, he wasn't sure he wanted to answer it, if his answer would make Zax hate him. He didn't want that, as the Soldier was one of the very few people to ever be nice to him.

"...back there... with Tseng and the grunts... what happened? How did you..."

Cloud's eyes went wide for a second when he realized what Zax was talking about. He wasn't completely aware of everything that had happened, he had been taken over by such a strong rage which had pushed everything else, all his other feelings and thoughts away. But still, deep inside he knew the truth.

Vincent had said that Hojo had messed with him a lot. That was both true and the understatement of the year. He couldn't possibly remember or know everything the scientist had done to him, but he had been a part of the Jenova-project. Even though he was just a fun side-project, something to spend time on, test new theories. Of course Hojo would have used her with him...

"...I think it was her. She... is in me..."

"Oh. She. You mean..."

"Jenova. She's in me, and ... she doesn't really talk to me, she just... I don't know."

'She doesn't talk to me, but there's too much of her in me that I can't just ignore her...'

"I see..." Zax muttered and shook his head. "She sure gets around, huh?"

Cloud smiled and looked up. The Soldier smiled back, violet eyes glowing warmly. The blond almost moved away when Zax's hand came up, but in stead of hitting him, it landed on top of his head and ruffled his spikes gently.

"Don't worry about it too much, Spike. I'm sure everything's gonna be ok eventually."

Cloud smiled at him, and didn't move away, not even when the hand slowly slid down to his cheek.

* * *

"Are you really my mother, or just some ancient specimen whose cells were implanted in me?"

/... I am both, my son. When you received my cells, you became mine, even though it wasn't I who bore you. I am your mother. Do you think I could talk to you like this if I were not?/

Sephiroth frowned and thought about it. The severed head in his lap had a point. He was as much Jenova's son as Lucretia's, maybe more so, as all of his powers were from her and the mako treatments. Lucretia and Vincent may be his biological parents, but Hojo and Jenova had made him.

But the General ignored his family tree for now. He had read quite a few of Hojo's books, back in Nibelheim's mansion, before Zackery had interrupted him, and the writings had had many holes in them which Jenova could probably fill, even though he couldn't trust her words completely.

"Well then, mother dearest, where exactly are you from? The Cetra traveled from planet to planet, until eventually some of them decided to stay here. Were you the same? One of them?"

/Yes, my son, I did travel from world to world, with the Cetra. We saw such wondrous worlds, and even though we grew to love them, we eventually moved to another one, for that was our way. We were nomads, our lives were harsh and hard, but it was the way. Until those appeared who disliked the journey. They stopped migrating and settled on the planet we were on at the time. They became the ancestors of the race known as humans.

/So we stayed here, with our brothers and sisters, not wanting to abandon them, even if they had abandoned the way. Eventually we were divided to the humans and the Ancients. Until a few thousand years ago, a disaster struck the planet from the skies. We fought, oh how we fought! Even the smallest battles seemed to last for years, but eventually the calamity from the skies was subdued, by sacrificing the Cetra. Our numbers diminished and now we are almost nonexistent. You, my son, are our, the Cetra's, last hope. Revenge our deaths, our destruction, and destroy the puny humans who have killed us and now rape our beloved planet!/

The quiet voice had grown from whispers to war cries, and Sephiroth was moved by the words, enraged by the injustice and the fate of the Cetra... his race. His ancestors.

/Yes... yes, my son, hate them, hate the humans, they are traitors, they will destroy the planet if you do not stop them! They are all cruel, not worthy of the legacy of the Cetra. Think, my son, Sephiroth, think how they treated you, when you were a child, when you were a Soldier, when you won their wars... you gave them everything you had, but what did you get in return?/

Sephiroth closed his eyes as the memories came flooding back, uncalled but very lifelike.

His childhood in the laboratory... he now realized that it must have been the one in Nibelheim. That's why the town had felt so familiar, he had spent his childhood there. If it could be called a childhood, being locked up in a tube, all alone, with no one to talk to, no one to play with, no comfort, no feeling of security, no warmth, no love. He'd been denied all that, and so much more of what he'd later learned was the right of every child.

They didn't talk to him, only ordered him, told him what to do, where to go, to cough, sleep and eat. He had teachers who taught him what he needed to know, but even they stayed distant, cold and professional. And once a teacher had taught him everything he or she knew, Sephiroth never saw them again. As a child he'd thought that they hated him so much, couldn't stand being close to him, that they just left and forgot him as soon as possible. Later on he'd started to suspect Hojo had had them all killed, not wanting to risk one of them talking about his experiments.

No one had even touched him. They were afraid to. All the years in the laboratory, living through every painful experiment and operation, and no one really touched him. They gave him shots, cut him open, took him from the operation table to the Mako tank and back again, but always kept their distance. He wouldn't have wanted them to touch him, not really, but would one kind touch, one reassuring pat on the shoulder have been too much to ask? He was just a test subject to them, nothing but a guinea pig, an animal that didn't deserve their attention or emotions.

After he got out... people still didn't touch him, not really. They were afraid as well. It was if they could all see that he was somehow very different from them. He knew he was, of course. He was left alone, shunned, feared... respected, yes, but what was respect worth if it was all he'd ever get? He rose to the rank of Soldier First Class faster than anyone before him. He had trained with members of the First Class when he had been only a Third class, barely thirteen years old. He'd beaten them and eventually his teachers without effort, and no one objected when he was made General before he was even allowed into bars.

He was respected, feared and adored, but people still wouldn't talk to him or touch him.

And then along came Zax. The brown-haired man had touched him, with both body and soul, and made him feel like he wasn't just a freak of nature brought up in a laboratory.

/No. He just wanted to get close so he could use you. He is a traitor./

"Why are you making me remember all this? Live through my life again?"

/Son, you are wise, but you have missed many important things. You do not yet understand how they have used you./

"'They' being everyone I've ever met, right?" His voice was cold and bored, Sephiroth trying to act like he didn't believe a word he heard. He knew that he wasn't normal, he'd known all his life, but it was kind of hard to believe that the whole world was against him. But still... some small part of him believed it, feared that it was the truth. That there was some secret conspiracy against him. But he couldn't believe, didn't want to believe that Zackery would have anything to do with it. The young Soldier had befriended him almost immediately after signing up in the army, and Sephiroth had been intrigued, especially after he'd shown potential of becoming perhaps the best Soldier ever. Not including him, of course.

He'd trained Zackery personally, letting his personal guard down while teaching the younger man how to build his, and they'd eventually become friends. And as Zackery rose in the Soldier hierarchy, they became even closer, the dark-haired man becoming his second-in-command. They'd fought together in the Wutai war, saving each other's lives more than once. Zax had even rubbed on him a bit, and he'd formed some sort of a friendship with Tseng, one of the Turks who soon became the leader of the small group.

So there was no way Sephiroth wanted to believe that even Zackery was only using him. He didn't care for the rest of the world, they could abuse him all they wanted, but he'd never believe it of Zackery.

/Yes. Everyone. Even those you thought were your friends. They are traitors./

Sorry, mother, but I don't believe you."

/Then you will have to learn the hard way, my son. They will all betray you, leave you or turn against you. They'll find someone else, someone HUMAN, and forget about you./

Sephiroth frowned and looked away from her eyes. "Granted, I do not know much about this mother-child interaction, but aren't you supposed to encourage me, not kill my self-esteem?"

A chuckle. /It sounds harsh, my son, but I don't want you to be hurt more than you already have suffered. But since that is, sadly, unavoidable, I want you to be prepared for what the traitors have in store for you./

"And how do you know I will be hurt?"

/...it is your destiny, as a Cetra. You will suffer, but in the end, you'll find the Promised Land./

* * *

"Remember what you promised."

Tseng looked up from his chafed wrists and smiled.

* * *

Zax was just going to get up and get Ame when they heard the front door open. Both he and Cloud turned to stare at the closed bedroom door, listening. They soon heard Cid's voice, or more like the rough tone of it. The pilot didn't sound pleased at all. Zax stood up and patted Cloud on the uninjured shoulder, smiling down at him.

"I'll go see what's going on, and tell your mom you're up. Later, Spike..."

Cloud smiled and nodded, trying not to blush. When the Soldier was gone, he lifted a hand to his cheek, remembering what it had felt to be touched without malice.

Zax stepped into the kitchen and smiled to Ame. "He's up." The woman nodded, smiling back nervously, and took the rest of the sandwich with her to the bedroom, glad to be away from the cursing captain. Cid was pacing the floor, muttering and chewing on the filter of his cigarette.

"This is great, this is so fucking great, we are so screwed."

"What's going on?" The Soldier asked and sat down. Cid glared at him and threw his gloved hands into the air.

"Trouble, sunshine, that's what's going on. There are two Shin-Ra dogs, grunts or Soldiers, looking for Tseng and the two guys you snuffed. Questioning people. It's only a matter of time before they start searching the houses. And then they're gonna come here. They're gonna come, and find three little Turks, neatly wrapped, sitting in my garage." Cid sat down and covered his face with his hands, the burning cigarette sticking out from between them. Zax hid his smile and coughed.

"We could take care of them, but that would probably bring Shin-Ra's attention to Rocket Town and you."

"Yeah, I know. I may be older than you, kid, but I'm not stupid." The Captain lowered his hands to the table and sighed, blowing out a cloud of smoke. "If we haven't figured anything out before they start searching, we'll shove the Turks into the cellar or take them to the rocket. Don't want to throw you out or anything, but I think it would be best for all if you guys hit the road asap." Cid really looked like he was sorry for saying it. Zax smiled and shrugged.

"Yeah, it sounds like a good idea. Have to talk with Seph about it, see what he's come up with."

Cid nodded and looked around. "Speaking of the devil... where is the white-headed bastard?"

"He's..." Zax started but then paled. He'd heard Sephiroth come out of the garage, and had guessed that the man would be in the kitchen. He clearly wasn't. "Oh shit..."

The Soldier stood up and half ran to the door of the garage, taking a quick look around it. Turks were huddled in one corner, but there was no other life form there.

"Don't tell me you've lost him?!" Cid shouted when Zax ran to the other side of the kitchen and opened the door leading to the bathroom. Empty. And he was sure the General wasn't in the bedroom.

"Uh, I'm sure he just stepped out to get some fresh air..."

Cid swore loud and with devotion and stood up. "Well he can't be crazy enough to go out the front door, not with that lot out there..." They both ran to the backdoor, looking around wildly, but all they could see was Shera, working on an engine, oblivious to her surroundings.

"Shera! You dumbass, have you seen that son of a bitch of a--"

Zax waved the Captain quiet before he'd let out all of his curses or scream Sephiroth's name so loud that everyone would hear, and ran to the woman.

"Have you seen Seph around? He's not in the house, we thought he might have come out this way."

Shera stood and looked around, worry creeping into her features. "No, sorry, I haven't seen him. But I didn't hear you two either, so he might have slipped past me."

Cid let out a loud string of curses, making Shera blush and Zax uncomfortable.

"He wouldn't just have left, not without telling me where he was going. I'm sure he's around here somewhere." The Soldier said, trying hard to ignore the fact that that was exactly what had happened the last time. Cid glared at him and threw his hands up.

"Okay smartarse, since you know everything so bloody well, go and find him! I'll go back in, have some tea and a stroke! You crazy fuckers are killing me!"

Shera grimaced as the Captain banged the door closed and turned to Zax. "Please hurry."

The Soldier nodded and ran from the backyard.

* * *

Sephiroth walked around the cockpit, the severed head in his hands, and tried to convince them both that she was wrong. The whole world wasn't out to get him, and Zackery wasn't just waiting for an opportunity to stab him in the back. He kept assuring himself of it, because he knew that if he'd lose faith in his friends, his truth, he'd lose his mind as well.

"Do you want to break me? Is that your goal? How will I get revenge if I lose my mind?" He questioned Jenova, who chuckled dryly in his mind.

/Son, sometimes we see the clearest when we are 'broken', as you say it. When mundane things don't distract us. It wouldn't be so bad.../

Sephiroth quickly silenced the voice in his head and turned as he heard quiet footsteps coming closer. He had thought that no one would bother to come up to the rocket, but apparently he had been wrong. The General lowered Jenova to the floor and grabbed the hilt of his Masamune, ready to pull it out of its sheath and kill the intruder if he needed to.

"...Seph?"

He relaxed immediately, recognizing Zax's voice. Of course. The Soldier knew him better than anyone else, and would know where to look for him.

"In here, Zackery."

The footsteps stopped for a second, but soon approached faster than before. The little light that came from the corridor was soon blocked out as Zax stepped in through the small portal and stopped. They just stared at each other for a second, until Zax lifted a hand and ran it through his hair.

"Shit, man, why did you disappear like that?"

"I needed to think." Sephiroth answered quietly, surprised and pleased at the worried tone, and a bit embarrassed. Zax had been worried about him. He could almost feel Jenova's hate towards the Soldier.

"You could have told me. Highwind came back, saw that you were gone and..." the dark-haired youth coughed. "Damn, Seph, I've never, ever heard anyone swear like that! You remember the time Heidegger spilled coffee on his ancient map collection? That was nothing! Ame, I mean Ms. Strife, she jumped to the roof, and I bet even Cloud got scared."

"Zackery. You're babbling." Sephiroth said, knowing that the Soldier couldn't see his smile. Zax shrugged and stepped a bit closer.

"Yeah, sorry. We were all just worried about you, you know... disappearing like that. And we couldn't just go out and ask people if they'd seen you... So I came to look for you."

"And you found me. You can go back now, I'll be there shortly."

Zax clearly didn't know what to do. The General guessed that he wanted to obey, wanted to trust him, but considering what had happened the last time he'd said similar words...

"I mean it. Trust me, Zackery. I just need a few more moments. If I'm not there within half an hour, you can come and drag me out."

Zax chuckled at the rare display of humour. "All right, Seph. I'm holding you to that!" With that, he turned and left. Sephiroth shook his head slightly and bend down to pick up the severed head. Looking into her eyes, he smirked and muttered "Traitor, eh?"

* * *

"...son of a fucking cold blue bitch from hell..."

"Captain, please!"

"Shera, shut the hell up!"

Zax stopped at the door, cringing and remembering the times he'd walked in to the middle of one of his parent's fights. It hadn't been nice as a child, and it certainly wasn't fun as a grown-up, either. But these weren't his parents, and hence not his problem. Shrugging off the thoughts he closed the door and walked bravely to the kitchen. His appearance quieted the Captain immediately, and Shera seemed relieved to see him, although they both grew worried when they noticed he was alone. Ame was standing at the bedroom door, watching them.

"Well?" Cid was the first to voice his concern. "Did you find the insane dipshit?"

Zax grinned and nodded. "Yeah, he's just behind me." It was cruel, but the look on Highwind's face was priceless. "Nah, not really. But I did find him, he's at the rocket, and will come down soon. He just needs a bit more time to think.

Cid flipped him the bird when the blood started to flow again in his body. He didn't bow down to any man, but the thought of calling someone as powerful as Sephiroth something like that to his face didn't seem like a good idea. Then he paled again.

"At the rocket? At MY rocket?! What the fuck is that crazy son of a bitch doing at _MY ROCKET_?!"

Zax cringed again at the following litany of curses which lasted until Cid was completely out of breath. The Captain still glared at the Soldier and lit a cigarette. "Shera, make some more tea. This is starting to get on my--"

"No! Vincent!"

Cid's words were cut off and everyone turned towards the bedroom where the frightened shout had come from. Ame ran in immediately, Zax and Shera not far behind. Cid cursed quietly and followed them.

Ame was already sitting on the bed, holding her shivering son. Cloud sobbed and stuttered, trying to get understandable words out of his mouth.

"What's wrong?" Zax asked from Ame, worried. The woman turned to look at him long enough to explain.

"He fell asleep just after you left. He must have had a bad dream. Are you all right, my little chocobo? What is it?"

"Vincent... h... they... hurt himmm... keep... hur-ting... pain..." the blond howled like he could feel some of the pain himself.

"What the--" Cid started but was cut off with an angry glare from Zax.

"Don't start, Highwind. Can't you see the kid's not ok?"

The Captain snorted but held his tongue, listening to Cloud's broken words. He had dreamed of Vincent: the ex-Turk was alive, being tortured and hurt.

"Do you know where he is?" Zax asked quietly when the boy stopped speaking. Cloud shook his head.

"I'm... not sure. But I think... I think I can... feel... _him_. Hojo. Hojo has Vincent."

"Shit... are you sure?" The Soldier asked and came closer, kneeling in front of the bed, looking up into the blue eyes. Cloud stared down at him for a moment.

"...yeah. Hojo... he's like a ... a wall of darkness... evil."

"How poetic. Have to say, that was a perfect distraction. Now if you all would slowly turn around."

Everyone froze as they heard Tseng's smooth voice. Electricity crackled in the air, and turning around, they saw the three Turks, unbound and armed.

"How the fuck..." Cid started but shut his mouth quickly as Reno's nightstick turned towards him, the lanky Turk grinning viciously.

"Well hello there, good captain. I suggest you don't move, this baby is stronger than your spear... you wouldn't like me to knock you on the head with this."

"Reno." Tseng simply said and stepped into the room. He didn't have his gun, at least not in hand, but the tall man was still threatening. Cid was efficiently held in place, Zax still kneeled before the bed, Ame and Cloud sat on it. The only one who had a bit of room to move was Shera, but she froze to the spot when Tseng's dark eyes turned to her.

"Young lady... where is your baseball bat now?"

"Fuck it you Shin-Ra slut, you leave her alone!" Cid roared, forgetting the weapon pointing straight at him. Reno tsked and kicked him behind the knees, dropping the Captain.

"Didn't I just tell you to stay still?"

Tseng looked slowly at each of them and chuckled quietly. "How does he always do this? Someone better tell me where Sephiroth is, or one of you will get a one-way ticket to the Promised Land." His eyes landed on Cloud. "Perhaps you. Or maybe..." The Turk turned to Ame, who held her son protectively.

"No!" Cloud screamed, holding her tighter. Zax stood slowly up, turning to stare straight into Tseng's eyes.

"Don't start this game again, please... Seph isn't here, you can see that. He left an hour or so ago, just after talking to you."

Tseng stared coldly back, not wavering at all, not showing any kind of emotion. He kept his eyes on Zax's, even when his hand shot out and grabbed Ame by her throat, yanking the woman up and away from her son.

"This isn't a game anymore, Lindeman. Talk, or she dies."

What happened next took only a few seconds, but for Zax, it seemed to take a small eternity. He was unable to move, still trying to think of a way to get out of the situation without bloodshed. He had his Buster-sword, but it would take too long to pull it out. Cid was on the floor, Reno held him down with one foot. Shera had backed into a corner, Rude blocked the door, and in the middle of it all, Tseng stood and slowly strangled Ame. Cloud sat on the bed...

...next thing he knew, Cloud didn't sit on the bed anymore, he was in the air, jumping from the bed, flying towards the exotic Turk, hands stretched out like talons, mouth open and growling. Zax felt that he was watching it all in slow motion, as the jump that Cloud shouldn't have had the strength for carried the boy past him, off the bed, to crash straight into a very surprised Tseng. The Turk let go of Ame who stumbled away and fell on her knees. Tseng was thrown to the floor, Cloud on top of him.

Zax's eyes went wide and he started to make a move to stop the boy, to distract him or something, anything. But by the time he got the first letter out of his mouth, Cloud had already descended upon the Turk like an angel of death, grabbed his head and bashed it to the hard floor twice before the rest of the man hit the ground. Blood exploded from the back of Tseng's head a fraction of a second before Cloud's teeth met the skin of his throat and sunk in, tearing it open, exposing the windpipe and ending Tseng's final, ragged breath before the Turk even had a chance to draw it in. Still, the enraged boy bit deeper into the bloody flesh, tearing it, swallowing it, until half of the throat was gone and all the life had left the leader of the Turks.

No one dared to move, they didn't breathe, couldn't believe their eyes as Cloud sat up, breathing hard, covered in blood from fingertips to elbows. The red was all over his face, it matted down his spiky hair and made his eyes shine even brighter. He sat still, catching his breath, and then, with slow, languid movements, lifted one hand and licked it slowly. Once, from elbow to the wrist, bringing out a white line to the middle of the redness. He swallowed the blood from his mouth, closed his eyes and made a small sound of pleasure.

"N-no..." Reno's hoarse whisper seemed to bring time back to life again, and Zax realized he was shaking all over. Shera was throwing up and sobbing, Reno kept repeating 'no' over and over again, but the rest were still frozen to their spots. Cloud seemed completely oblivious to his surroundings, didn't even notice when Ame started to cry.

"Fuck this!" Reno suddenly screamed, tears in his eyes and cheeks, and ran out of the room. Rude was still blocking the door, but the redhead pushed him out of the way effortlessly. The quiet Turk stared at the scene for a moment longer, no emotion showing on his very pale face. Then he turned and ran after Reno. The front door was thrown open and banged loudly against the wall. No one paid it any attention, still too much in shock.

* * *

A.N: Ungh. Yeah. Tune in next time to find out just how the Turks got free and what happens next!

Cloud: Rawwwww meeeeat!! Guuur, gimmmeeeeee!  
Ame: -whacks Cloud in the back of his head- Where are your manners?! Did I raise you to tear open people's throats like that? I don't think so!  
Cloud: ...uuuuuurh, gimmmeeee, pleeeeze?  
Ame: Better.


	14. Chapter Twelve

A big thank yoooou for all the reviews!! (forgot to say that last chapter... dum de dum... )

This'll be kinda harsh... guess the happy days are over... Don't own the charas or the places, Square does. I'm more of an oval person.

* * *

**Chapter twelve: Going, going, going, gone.**

**-**

The air in the rocket had been dead and bitter, but it was nothing compared to the stench of recent death and fresh blood that attacked him the second he opened the door. Sephiroth immediately lowered Jenova to the floor and pulled out his Masamune.

'Zackery, you better be in one piece...' he thought and moved silently towards the kitchen. His keen ears caught quiet sobbing, coming from the bedroom, and now he also faintly smelled vomit. What had happened? Zackery had left him barely ten minutes ago, the Soldier would have come back for him if he'd walked in on whatever had happened. So it had happened just moments ago. Thinking back carefully, Sephiroth remembered hearing a door slamming just before he'd reached the back door. Had the murdered left the house?

"Oh... oh no... please, no..."

The General froze immediately as he heard the female voice, begging for something, perhaps mercy. Perhaps whoever had spilled blood was still inside, threatening his hostages. And if Zackery wasn't fighting, then the blood he could smell was...

His eyes flared dangerously as Sephiroth squared his jaw and moved quickly but quietly to stand in the doorway, ready to kill or dodge any thrown weapons. In stead, he froze, staring at the sight.

Zackery stood, near the bed, completely frozen to the spot, and stared down, lips moving but making no sound. Ms. Strife was leaning against the bed and crying, Shera was in a corner, face turned away. Highwind was on the floor, on his stomach, leaning on his elbows, staring with his mouth hanging open.

And in the middle of it all, laying in a growing puddle of blood was Tseng, his throat torn open and skull cracked from the back of his head; dead, dark eyes staring straight up without seeing, face a mask of surprise. On his unmoving chest sat Cloud, looking like he was just waking up from a nightmare, eyes wide, covered in blood.

She was all over it. Sephiroth didn't know how he knew, but he just knew that Jenova had somehow caused this, had used her powers to ...

...to make Tseng hurt him by leaving.

/I told you. But it was not I, it was the boy. I have tried to teach him to control his temper and powers, but he will not listen./

"Shut. Up." Sephiroth growled to the voice in his head. The words broke the spell upon the room and four heads turned to him. Cloud, the only one not seeing him, soon found himself picked roughly up by his arms, and as the boy's eyes focused, he saw a pair of Mako eyes from a closer distance than anyone who had lived to tell about it. He shuddered at the intense rage in them and moaned as pain flared up in his back, but Sephiroth didn't let go or care.

"...Seph..." Zax started but a quick glance from his General silenced his objections.

"Zackery. Talk."

The Soldier swallowed, eyes wandering back to the dead body. "Uh, I... I got back, and... and when we were all here, the Turks appeared and started to ask about you. Tseng threatened us, tried to... he was strangling Ms. Strife, and... Cloud... attacked him. And..." Not knowing what else to say, he just spread his hands in a gesture of helplessness. Sephiroth's eyes left Cloud's and turned to Tseng. The Turk's blood reached the tips of his boots now. Stepping away, he turned back to the trembling murdered in his hands. Cloud's eyes had gone wide with fear as he started to recall what had happened.

"You. Talk." Sephiroth ordered and Cloud found himself obeying.

"I... I didn't mean to kill him... he was hurting my mom... I didn't mean to kill him, I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... he would have killed her..."

"Yeah, but did you have to eat him..." Cid muttered, so quietly that he didn't believe that anyone would hear. But Sephiroth, Zax and Cloud did. The boy let out a pained sob and closed his eyes as the rage in Sephiroth's grew tenfold. Zax turned away and covered his mouth with a hand.

"...n...no...no, no I didn't... I didn't! I..." Cloud tried to deny it, but the taste of blood and fresh, raw meat was still in his mouth. It tasted so familiar and good, filled his stomach and strengthened him... "NO!"

Sephiroth shook the boy, not too gently, as the blond started to squirm and scream, denying the obvious truth. "Shut up. They all saw you. What's done is done." He hated the boy, what else could he feel towards someone who'd murdered one of his few friends? He and Tseng hadn't been that close, and the Turk was going to betray him to the Shin-Ra, but still... yet he couldn't help but pity the boy, as well. No ordinary human would have done what Cloud had done, he was sure of it. He'd seen bloodlust and massacre in the war, but this was worse. The boy was denying it, but he had killed a man and eaten his flesh. As reason conquered blind rage, Sephiroth came to the conclusion that his senses had been correct. Jenova was written all over it, signed by Hojo. The two who had made him, as well.

He'd never thought he'd get a little brother one day.

"Oh, gods..." Sephiroth muttered and let go of Cloud. The boy crumpled down at his feet, sobbing and still chanting his denials. "Get out of here, all of you. I'll... take care of Tseng. Where are Rude and Reno?"

Zax snapped back awake and tore his eyes from Tseng. "They ran. They're somewhere out there."

"Go to the rocket, or some other place. Highwind, can you take them somewhere?"

Cid nodded, still too shocked to object. He stumbled up and shakily went to Shera, putting one arm around her waist and the other around Ame's. Trying to avoid stepping onto Tseng's blood, he guided the women out of the room. Zax hesitated for a moment before walking next to Sephiroth.

"Seph... are you sure you want to..."

"Go, Zackery. Take the boy and follow them. I'll be along shortly."

Zax nodded and kneeled down, wrapping his arms carefully around Cloud's waist. The boy threw his arms around the Soldier's neck and started to cry uncontrollably, just hanging on as if his life depended on it. Zax carried him out, with one last look to his General.

Left alone, Sephiroth covered his face with his hands and breathed deep. Just breathed for a minute or two, before remembering that there wasn't time to waste. The remaining Turks would be back, with reinforcements.

One last, deep breath and he kneeled next to Tseng's head. Hojo had really outdone himself this time, Cloud had cracked both the Turk's head and the floor. Sephiroth shook his head and lifted a gloved hand to close his friend's eyes. At the last moment, he pulled it back and took the glove off.

"Thank you, Tseng. For being a friend. I'm sorry it had to end this way..." he lifted his hand again and closed the empty, lifeless eyes. "May you find your Promised Land." He'd never given an eulogy to a friend before, only to soldiers lost in war, but that seemed like the proper thing to say. With a sigh he stood up and cast a centered Flare on the body, burning it instantly but not letting the fire spread. The floor smoked a bit but nothing was left of Tseng but a shadow on the wood.

/I am sorry, son, but--/

"Shut up! Never speak to me AGAIN! EVER!" Sephiroth screamed and shook his head almost violently. "This is your doing! Leave me alone!" The General checked the bedroom one last time and noticed Vincent's red cape. It was hanging neatly on a peg on the wall. With a sigh he took it with him, wrapped it around Jenova's head and left the house.

* * *

Zax followed Cid and the women a bit slower, within hearing distance. The Captain guided them towards the rocket, staying as far from the town as possible. The Soldier could hear him swear every now and then.

Cloud was still hanging from his neck, but the boy had stopped crying. Zax was sure he was mumbling something, but he couldn't hear a word of it. He stopped for a second and pulled the blond up a bit, to rest in his arms more comfortably. What Cloud did had upset him, but the Soldier had come to the same conclusion as his General: without Hojo's interference, the boy would never have done it.

When he started walking again, he noticed that Cid and the women had stopped, near the rocket's base. Zax jogged the last few steps to where they waited, stopping a few feet from them.

"Are we staying here?"

Cid lit up a cigarette, making the Soldier wonder if the man ever ran out of them.

"Yeah, we'll wait here. If we go in to the rocket, and those dumbasses come lookin' for us, we'll be caught. There's only one door in that baby. As soon as that General of yours arrives, we're hitting the road."

"Where?" Zax asked.

"All of us?" Shera questioned, looking nervously at the Soldier and the boy in his arms. Ame had turned her back on them all, her shoulders shaking. Most of the blood on Cloud's face had rubbed off to Zax's shirt, so he didn't look so scary anymore, but it would be harder to get rid of the memories.

The Captain shrugged. "As long as those Turks are alive and around, Shera 'n me aren't safe either. They know us and where we live. Fuck, we might as well start this trip together." He patted at the rocket gently, lovingly. "If only I could take you with me, baby... we'll take the Bronco, it'll be a bit tight but she can take us some of the way."

"To where?" Zax asked again, and Cid shrugged.

"Damned if I know. I don't have all the fucking answers!"

Zax nodded, not wanting to push it. He was anxious to leave, to get the hell out of the region, even the whole continent. But it would be a long walk if he managed to piss off the pilot of their only means of transportation.

"Z-zax...?" Cloud whispered quietly, his head now resting on the Soldier's shoulder, weak, bloody arms crossed over the bandaged chest. Zax cursed himself for not taking a blanket, but at least the boy had pants on, wasn't left completely naked. Again.

"Yeah?"

"Are you... mad at me?" The boy asked, half closed eyes staring at his hands.

Zax had to think for a while before he could give a truthful answer. "No. No I'm not mad at you. If anyone, Hojo. Vincent told us he messed you up pretty badly, so it's not really your fault." He looked at the others from the corner of his eye, seeing that they were all listening to the quiet conversation.

"Do you think... Sephiroth is mad at me?"

"He's a smart guy, I think he'd agree with me."

"I really didn't mean to kill him, something just... snapped. He was hurting mom."

"Yeah, I know... happens to some Soldiers, too, in the war. We just don't--" he cut himself off, but not soon enough. Cloud shuddered and finished the sentence.

"...eat them."

"Sorry..." Zax grimaced and gave the boy a gentle squeeze. "Didn't mean it, it just slipped."

Cloud closed his eyes and sighed. "Do you think I'm a... monster? Horrible? Not human?"

It had been easy enough to come to the conclusion that he didn't hate the boy, but Zax wasn't at all prepared to answer questions like that. Same questions that Sephiroth had asked, in the Nibelheim reactor when they'd found Hojo's little experiments, inside the rows and rows of pods. The General had started to suspect that he had been made the same way. Zax hadn't known what to tell him, either.

"It's all right..." Cloud muttered when the Soldier couldn't say anything. "I know I'm a monster... Hojo made me one. If I weren't a monster, I wouldn't have... LIKED the taste of... his flesh... and blood. But I did... it tasted good... better than water, and any food I've ever eaten. I don't think I could eat anything else ever again..."

Zax swallowed painfully and realized that the boy hadn't eaten anything during their trip to Rocket Town. Only small pieces of rabbit meat, but even those had seemed to make him sick. When Cloud had killed the man, at the clearing... Zax wondered if the boy had taken a bite of him as well, and shuddered. Whatever Hojo had done to the boy, it was far worse than he'd suspected. He tried to say something, but was cut off by a loud sob from Ame. The Soldier only now realized that the other three had come closer to listen to their conversation, and had probably heard every word.

She looked so angry and hurt when she took a few shaky steps towards the pair. "Oh, they were right, he didn't lie after all... you are a monster... you aren't my son, you are a monster..." the blonde woman wailed, tears flowing from her eyes, down pale cheeks.

"M-mom?"

Cid and Zax both frowned, but it was Sephiroth who asked the question.

"Who's 'they'?" The General seemed to step in front of them from nowhere, a red bundle in the crook of his left arm, startling everyone. His commanding tone was probably the only thing that made Ame answer.

"The Turks, that man... Tseng."

"What didn't he lie about? Have you talked to him?" Sephiroth questioned her, stepping closer. The woman took a step back and averted her eyes, but answered.

"...yes. He came to me when... when he came to Rocket Town. He told me that... that one of the escaped specimens is the same one who murdered my Cloud... that it had taken his shape and soul, but it was just a monster... he wanted me to ... to BETRAY my own SON, to sell him out to Shin-Ra... I told him I'd have to see for myself, and I didn't believe him, not after I... not after I got Cloud back, but now... you are a monster, you are not my son, my sweet little child, he could never, ever do a thing like that... I told him that I'd know, I'd know straight away if it was my son or a monster, and he... he promised... that if I'd see him, my Cloud, and if I was sure he was real, not a monster, then they'd leave us alone... he promised! And I was so sure..."

"...mom...?" Cloud's voice was so small and scared it just about broke Zax's heart.

"DON'T CALL ME THAT! I am not your mother, you aren't my Cloud! My sweet little boy is dead, how dare you pose as him? HOW DARE YOU?! You MURDERER!" Ame screamed, tearing at her hair. "He died and you, you bastard, you try to fool me! Ghosts and... monsters, and, and severed bloody heads, this is too much! What have I done to deserve such things?!"

"Silence!" Sephiroth shouted and the hysterical woman went silent. Even Cloud ceased his sobbing. "This is neither the time nor the place for this. We are not safe yet, the rest of the Turks are close. We must leave this place."

Cid cleared his throat, almost scared to break the silence. "The Bronco is still near the forest, five minutes from here."

"Thank you, Captain." Sephiroth muttered and motioned for the blond to lead the way. The women followed him, Zax and Cloud at their heels after the Soldier threw a quick, questioning look at his General.

They didn't get far when the shouting started. Cid picked up their pace as loud voices ordered people around. Bright lights, originally used when the rocket was being built, were lit up, and they turned the dark night into a bright day.

"We're almost there!" Highwind shouted when they could see the small plane. Lucky for them, the area was deserted. Cid jumped in first and immediately started the engines. "Hurry up!"

Zax lifted Cloud in and turned to help the women up. Shera didn't need help, though, she climbed in as if she were born to do it. The Soldier turned to Ame, but she shook her head.

"Please, Ms. Strife, there isn't much time." Zax pleaded and stepped closer to the woman, but she, in turn, stepped away from him.

"Mom?" Cloud asked, his eyes begging for her to get in. Ame closed her eyes and shook her head again.

"No. I'm not coming. Not with any of you. I'm sorry. I can't--" Without another word, she turned and ran deeper into the forest. Cloud screamed and Zax was just about to run after her, but Sephiroth grabbed him.

"Let her go. She'll be safe in the forest, and anyway, they'll be after us, not her. Get in."

Zax stared into the forest for a moment, listening to Cloud crying, and nodded slowly.

"There they are! Don't let them get away!"

"SHIT!" Cid screamed and the Tiny Bronco started to roll along as the first gunshots were heard. Zax grabbed the closest wing and climbed in, Sephiroth just behind him.

"Catch them!"

Slowly and shakily the plane lifted from the ground, gaining speed and height, even as the bullets flew around it.

"Shoot them down! NOW!"

The small plane was crowded, but when Zax took Cloud onto his lap and Shera chose to hide from the bullets on the floor, they managed to fit in. The Soldier did his best to shield Cloud with his own body while Sephiroth leaned out and aimed a strong bolt-spell, hitting the ground just before the men firing their guns at the plane. He didn't actually hit any of them, but they were all thrown to the ground, unable to continue their pursue.

"We're not safe yet, they hit us!" Cid screamed over the wind and the complaining machinery. "Buckle up, we're going down soon"

Sephiroth pulled Shera up to the seats and fastened the seatbelts around them both, while Zax did the same. Beneath them, but not far enough, the trees turned to grass and sand, green and yellow soon melted into blue, the smell of smoke growing stronger with every second.

"Hold on, this is fucking it!" Their Captain screamed as the dark blue sea was suddenly in front of them in stead of beneath. Zax held Cloud, protecting the boy's head with his arms. Sephiroth turned to protect Shera and Jenova's head with his body, while Cid let out a long stream of profanities, ending only when they hit the water.

* * *

"Please, professor, you have to let me out! You can't keep me in here, it's inhuman!"

Vincent, standing very still, not far from the tank, glared at the sniveling man. "So it's inhuman when you are in there, but not when Cloud was?" The ex-Turk said, voice full of contempt. Malaka ignored him, still pleading.

"Now, now, children, try to behave..." Hojo chuckled and pressed a few buttons before coming to stand next to Vincent. "Malaka dearest, you brought this on yourself. If I were you, I'd be content knowing that I'm a part of an exciting scientific project." The scientist's smile faded quickly, though. "If only I still had sweet Jenova... but she was destroyed when the reactor was blown away... most of her. I can feel her, a part of her is still out there, calling me, working to achieve our goal..." Hojo's smile came back to his lips as he looked back at Malaka, and at the green liquid, up to the man's ankles by now. "You should be more like her, young man. She was captured in the land for thousands of years, experimented upon, blown to bits, but still she continues to fight for our cause."

Malaka was petrified, brown eyes large and staring at the rising Mako. Vincent averted his eyes, not wanting to end up pitying the man who had made his and Cloud's lives hellish for the last year or so. His thoughts wandered quickly to the boy, and to Sephiroth, and he wondered what had happened to them during the last few days. It was hard to believe that only so little time had passed since he'd met his son for the first, and probably last, time. Easier when he moved an inch and his body complained, still sore from Hojo's welcome back -treatment. The ex-Turk had managed to forget some of the fear and pain of actually being on the professor's operating table during his long sleep, but after being dragged back to the mansion, Hojo had decided to punish him for disobedience. Vincent looked down and shivered.

Hojo had decided to throw him into one of the tanks for a while, to strengthen the control over the ex-Turk. He had spent some time in one of them 25 years ago, but he'd been so confused and in so much pain that the Mako hadn't made much difference to his well-being. But now he'd felt every cold, acidic tingle of the liquid, both outside his body and in. But Vincent had kept his pride, hadn't let out one word of complain, not one noise of distress. After he'd been left out, Hojo had gone creative on him to make very clear what he thought of 'slaves who didn't know their place'. The scientist had also been very upset that Vincent had managed to break his computer codes, and had promised to make sure it would never happen again.

Vincent closed his eyes and tried to ignore his pains and the twisted thing that had once been his body. His hair had obviously been on the professor's way, for it had been cut to the length of only a few inches. His arm... Hojo had removed the metal claw covering his left hand, leaving him with a black-scaled stump with almost useless, bone-thin fingers. The claw had given them strength and protected the arm from harm. Now even the cold, humid air of the basement was hurting it, causing the impression that his hand was constantly dipped into Mako. Moving it, or the fingers, shot electric pain all around his body, stretched the blackened skin and even ripped it at times, so Vincent did his best to keep his hand still.

One thing you got quickly used to, living in the basement, were the bats. They were everywhere, flying around, scaring people and sucking out the blood and strength of everyone who got in their way. They were far larger than normal bats, and more vicious. With all the experiments going on in the mansion, Vincent wasn't surprised that even the animals had mutated so.

They had obviously inspired Hojo when the scientist had been thinking of a proper punishment to his slave. Just before he'd been thrown into the Mako, Vincent had received a wing. Grey-black, flexible skin had been sewn to his left arm and attached to his ribs. He wondered if it had been sewn together from pieces of bat's wings, for one wing wasn't that large. He also wondered what the hell Hojo hoped to achieve with this, other than make him utterly miserable. The wing wasn't nearly strong enough to make him fly, and with the pain in his hand when he moved it, it wouldn't be possible anyway.

Malaka had started to shout pathetically, and Hojo was shaking his head at the behaviour. Vincent lifted his eyes and saw that the professor had turned to stare at him, ignoring the racket.

"Do flap your wing, Valentine, wouldn't want it to go weak from misuse..." the man chuckled at his own words and walked around the ex-Turk, who didn't dare move a muscle. "I wonder... will you also start to drink blood, like the bats and your young friend?"

Vincent's head snapped around, to stare into Hojo's mad eyes. "What?"

The professor poked his wing and chest with a pen and chuckled. "You didn't know? Yet you read my notes..." Hojo shrugged and took another walk around Vincent. "You never wondered just why you two didn't get the same food, or why I preferred to have him fed through the tubes? He wasn't ready yet, though, when he ran from us. He'd only fed himself under my surveillance and guidance... I wonder if he'll be able to do it himself, if he'll realize how to do it. Ah, I wish I could see him. Well, can't have everything. You got yours, though." He poked at the wing once more, and made it twitch.

Vincent had gone even paler than usual, his head spinning. What was the lunatic talking about? "What... what do you mean? Hojo, what did you do to him?"

Hojo chuckled yet again, seeming too pleased with himself, and walked to the tank to look how Malaka was learning to breathe Mako. It was clearly painful and difficult, but the professor didn't seem to mind.

"You aren't as smart as I gave you credit for, Valentine. You missed the point. Jenova was a being who feasted on the planets she arrived upon, the land, the people, the very soul of the planet. Sucking on its powers, just like those damned bats. Ah, I see you understand now. So, I started to wonder... Jenova made it, so do those bats. But, could I make a normal human being the same, change him so that he'd have this particular trait of hers?" The scientist chuckled and shrugged.

"Sephiroth got most of her powers and strengths, but this one I had not given him. Such an interesting thing, it would have been a shame not to try it. Really is too bad that the specimen got away... mmm, but it's not too late, the Turks are after him and Sephiroth... dear Vincent, you just might get your little friend back. And I'll see what has become of him. Might have been a bit too much, in hindsight... I should have had more specimens, really, I ended up trying just about anything on him. Just like I honed myself for Sephiroth on you. Jenova-cells in the boy, with the recent alterations... if he lives, he might not be a human for long... damn it, until the Turks catch him I can only speculate..."

For a second Vincent thought, hoped, that he might just faint from shock. But then he remembered the four demons who haunted his sleep and forced himself to stay awake.

"Hojo, you bastard..." he muttered and watched the gleeful professor walk around the tank hosting Malaka. The younger man was breathing the liquid now, but by the look on his face, wasn't liking it at all. The ex-Turk ended feeling sorry for the man after all.

* * *

A.N: A thought just came to me... why didn't Seph use Life or a Phoenix Down on Tseng?! Why didn't anyone else? Hmm. Guess it's his destiny to live... er, die... um, whatever... unresurrected. And anyway, what would become of this story if people didn't stay dead... right? Heh. Review? And thank you for reading!

And now, this week's episode of **Behind the Scenes!**

Sephiroth strikes a dramatic pose. "Silence! This is neither the time nor the place for this. We are not safe yet, the rest of the Turks are close. We must leave this place."

"To the Batmobile!" Zax screams, grinning.

"CUT!! Okay, again..."

Sephiroth rolls his eyes. "Blah blah blah. We must leave this place."

"Let's hunt some orc!"

"CUT!! Zax!!"

"I want you to hit me as hard as you can!"

"Don't tempt me..."

"Are you talkin' to me?"

"LINDEMAN!"

"How many times I have to tell you, green is not your colour!"

"WHAT?!"

"Who would you like me to kill?"

"You!"

"Somebody please shoot him!" Cloud screams, trying to get free from the crazed Soldier's grip. Vincent appears from behind the set and shoots the madman with his Death Penalty.

"Damnit! Now we need a new Soldier..."

"Seventh this month..."


	15. Chapter Thirteen

A bit of a lighter interlude. Well, mostly. Umm, some of it. I think. Huzzah! Most of this chapter was written under the influence of sleep deprivation, and the rest while listening to Rammstein. Be warned... don't own the bishies or the world they live in. I'd like to, but thus is life.

* * *

**Chapter thirteen: In between places.**

**-**

"...they got away."

"No shit."

"..."

"...damn." Reno lit a cigarette and watched the smoking trail of the small plane disappear into the darkness of the night. Behind them, bright lights illuminated the town and the people still running around, shouting and asking questions. His hands were shaking although the nicotine rushing through his system calmed the Turk down a bit. But the shock was still on the top of his mind, the image of Tseng, bleeding, dying, gone. Dead. Killed by that blond little freak of nature. The redhead wasn't extremely loyal or sentimental, but his boss had just been brutally murdered in front of his eyes.

Still, he was supposed to be a professional. He had run from the scene, out of the house, to the middle of Rocket Town, and screamed for the men who had accompanied Tseng. Rude had been right on his heels, probably as shocked as he was, but not showing it as badly. The men had come running and hadn't wasted any time when Reno had ordered them to gather up anyone who could use a weapon. They had stormed the Captain's house but found it empty. By then someone had turned on those damned spotlights and everyone was running around. Not wanting to let them get away, the Turk had ordered the men to stop anyone who tried to leave town. The command was passed on and soon the escapees were spotted. The Turks had followed the shouts and gunshots, and arrived just in time to see Sephiroth's bolt throw their pursuers to the ground.

"Damn it all to hell..." Reno cursed again and turned, not giving the injured men another thought as he marched back to the town, shouting orders to the other men. Rude stared at the sky for a moment longer before following the redhead.

Reno didn't stop to wait for the other Turk, didn't even stop when he caught a young man by the collar of his shirt, almost yanking the man off his feet.

"You. Find me a phone or a radio. Now."

The youth nodded frantically and ran off, eager to do what he was told. The townsfolk didn't like Shin-Ra or the Turks much, but no one wanted to argue with them.

Rude caught up with him just as the man returned with a PHS. Reno took it and started to dial, throwing the bald man an annoyed look. "Did you stop to admire the view or what?"

The older Turk glared at him from behind his glasses, not bothering to answer as the redhead lifted the small device up to his ear.

"Joan? Get me the President. It's an emergency." The Turk made a face and cussed at the machine. "I don't care if he's in the freakin' Honey Bee Inn, get him!" He shouted, ignoring the secretary's protests. His eyes had thinned to small slits, resembling the scars beneath them. Rude turned away from the furious man, waving the approaching Shin-Ra grunt quiet.

"Dumb bitch..." Reno lowered the PHS from his ear, turning to look at Rude and at the squirming grunt. "And what the hell are you standing there for? Spit it out!"

"S-sir!" The man saluted, clearly nervous and fearing for his life. Reno gave him a closer look.

"Didn't I order you and your buddies to chase them with the helicopter?"

"Y-yes, sir..." the man stuttered and swallowed loudly. "But, sir... the pilot was one of the three who were injured, sir... the rest of us don't know how to fly..." his last words were barely audible, as the look on Reno's face promised him hell. Rude shook his head, irritated by both the trooper and his colleague's behaviour, and turned away when the younger Turk's fist flew towards the grunt.

"Find someone who can fly it! We don't have time for fuckin' picnics here, we have to catch these people NOW!" Reno shouted when the man picked himself up from the ground, nodding and saluting and trying to stop the nosebleed. The Turk just hissed at him menacingly and lifted the PHS back up. "Come on, come on... oh, Mr. President. It's Reno. We've had a few problems..."

* * *

Vincent fingered the dark scales of his left arm absently. The pain it caused helped him to ignore what was going on in the laboratory. He was doing a lot of ignoring lately.

Malaka was still in the Mako chamber, floating in the green liquid, while Hojo poured in black liquid from a small container. Whatever it was, even small amounts of it smelled awful, the stench filling the whole laboratory, lingering in small clouds. Malaka was going frantic at the mere sight of it. Obviously the man knew what was going to happen to him. Vincent hoped that it was something very, very painful; he no longer felt any compassion towards him or anyone else here.

He had dared to take a small nap earlier, eyes only half closed. When he was unconscious from Hojo's treatments, or dared to truly sleep, the four demons chased him all night, and when they finally caught him, he'd again feel the pain of their claws and teeth. He'd feel it even after he'd manage to wake up. The ex-Turk didn't dare to sleep much anymore.

But the small nap had been blessedly demon-free. Just darkness, warm and comforting, quiet, except for the whisperings. Lucretia was back. She'd whisper her concerns for him and for their son, how she missed them both and wished that she could see Vincent once again. He had woken with eyes full of tears.

So Vincent Valentine wasn't in a good mood, not with those memories, not with the pain in his arm and definitely not with the overly cheery professor Hojo. At least Malaka had learned not to beg for mercy anymore.

The other assistants had become such lambs after what had happened to Malaka. They still treated him roughly and tossed their ex-colleague around like a dead rat, but Hojo only had to lift his little finger and they fought to fulfill his every command. If Vincent wouldn't have hated his own existence so much, he would have laughed at their obedience and fear. They were like dogs who'd just realized that if they didn't do as the master commanded, they'd be put to sleep. They'd already been castrated years ago.

Hojo's container was still half full of the liquid when the phone rang on his desk. The professor cursed and looked down from the top of the chamber, balancing on a stepladder to be able to pour the liquid straight in through one of the tubes. "Valentine, get that. Put it on the speakers."

Vincent's body had instinctively moved on Hojo's command, but when he picked up the handset he realized he didn't know what the man was speaking about. Technology had developed during his long sleep; the last time he'd used a phone, the PHS had still weighed a few pounds and had barely fitted in a pocket.

"Press the red button..." Hojo said and rolled his eyes. Vincent did as he was told, still clutching the handset. They both heard a low, annoyed voice mutter through the speakers.

"This is Hojo." The professor said, picking up the container again.

"Hojo?"

"Ah, Mr President... have the Turks caught my specimen yet? Or Sephiroth?"

"Damn it Hojo what the hell is that specimen?!" The President's voice was far from its usual calm, and closer to full-blown rage. Hojo frowned and turned towards the phone.

"Why? What has he done?"

"He tore open one of my Turks! The HEAD of the Turks, I might add! Attacked him and tore open his throat! Murdered him in cold blood and, apparently, ATE him."

Vincent felt his blood turn to ice while Hojo raised an eyebrow and smirked

"Imagine that. I guess the project was a success after all."

"What? You call that a success? Hojo, what the hell are you doing over there?"

"He was just a test with some of Jenova's abilities. He really ate all of the unfortunate man? What happened?"

Vincent was forced to stand there and listen while the President told them Reno's version of the story, everything from meeting Sephiroth in the reactor to when they had returned to Highwind's house to find it empty and Tseng's body gone. Hojo was annoyed by the fact that the surviving Turks had let Sephiroth and Cloud go, not caring that the General could have killed them with one hand, and that there had been only two Turks against him and several others. Vincent didn't care about it, though, or for the dead Turk he'd never even met. According to the report he'd just heard, Sephiroth was carrying around a severed head that Hojo had immediately recognized as Jenova's. So she was controlling him. And Cloud... the boy was a monster. They were both lost, as doomed as he was. There was no hope left, none whatsoever.

"So where are they now?" Hojo was just asking, and the ex-Turk forced himself to concentrate on the conversation.

"They were last seen flying towards Wutai. Troops there have already been alerted, and we're also searching the beach on our side. The plane was hit, they might have crash-landed even before the sea."

That got a reaction out of Hojo. The professor had been leaning on the tank through the conversation, but now he stood up so quickly he almost lost his balance and fell from the ladders. "What?! But I want them alive!" The man sounded almost like a child, pleading for a toy. The President was silent for a while, and when he spoke again, his voice was stern and almost parental.

"This has gone far enough. My priority now is to catch them, and not care if they survive or not. Too much is at stake here, there's no more time to dance around them. The troops are ordered to shoot first and ask questions later. Unless they surrender, they are to be killed."

Hojo opened and closed his mouth, clearly outraged but unable to vent it. Finally he let out a loud denial.

"This conversation... is over." The President announced and closed his phone. The monotonous, annoying mechanical tone filled the room. Hojo threw the glass container at the phone and it exploded to small splinters on the desk, the rest of the liquid hissing as it hit the surface. Vincent closed his eyes and couldn't help it when a small smile crept on his lips as the professor raged and screamed, kicking everything that got in his way, including the ex-Turk. He might have just lost his hope and with it his will to live, he might be pestered by demons and mad scientists, but there was something absolutely thrilling in seeing Hojo like this. The small joys of life.

* * *

Something burned. He could smell the smoke. And electricity. It crackled, somewhere on his left. Something hard and pointy was digging into his side, making his ribs ache. His head hurt, his legs were twisted, his arms had gone numb, and he had a feeling that if he opened his eyes just now, it would feel worse.

And over it all, he could hear and feel the waves, rocking them gently, pushing them around. Seagulls screamed overhead, once in a while one would dare to fly closer.

Someone moaned. Not a happy moan, not a noise you gave when you were feeling good, when someone was kissing you or... but it wasn't that kind of a moan. It was more like a plea, to be put out of this misery. A moan of pain. And then shuffling, more moaning, both human and metal.

"...twisted...sunuvabitt... geroffme..." Then metal moaned more than the human, and after a while there was a loud splash as something heavy hit the water. "...for fuckssake... lookittat... my baby... aww, shit!"

He kind of preferred the moaning to the new, angry voice that just. Wouldn't. Shut. Up!

"Give us a break..." Zax groaned and finally opened his eyes, very slowly and carefully. The brightness of the world around him, the first rays of the rising sun, mirrored by the sea that stretched endlessly around them blinded him, and the Soldier squeezed his eyes shut, very quickly and not so carefully. "Where the hell are we..." he managed after a moment.

The voice, Cid's voice, grew louder again and he could swear he heard the man light a cigarette. Zax squeezed his eyes closed even tighter, sure that they would soon explode into itsy-bitsy-bits, and make the seagulls very, very happy. 'Damn. Something must have hit me in the head, and hard...'

"I've no fucking idea... we were going towards Wutai when we crashed, but that was last night. Now it's morning. Depending which current we landed on, we're either near Cosmo Canyon or Bone Village. I don't actually give a shit at the moment. I'm fucking surprised we made it!"

"Did we?" Zax asked quietly and tried to sit up a bit. But there was someone leaning against his back, and someone on his lap, and they quite efficiently stopped him from moving more than two inches in any direction. But he did manage to make them both moan. He dared to open his eyes again, and this time blinked furiously until he got used to the brightness.

Cid turned to look at them, his concerned face covered with blood which had leaked from a large gash on his forehead. "You all in one piece? Shera?" The Captain asked, reaching a hand over to nudge the closest thing, which happened to be Sephiroth's knee. The General groaned and lifted a hand to cover his eyes. The movement freed Shera from his protective grasp, and the woman slid away from him, her face covered with blood as well. Cid swore when he saw that her glasses had broken at some point, and that some of the shards had sunk into her skin. Otherwise she seemed to be fine.

Sephiroth sat up sharply as he remembered what had happened, and looked around. His hand went quickly to his side, but the alien head he searched for was nowhere to be found. Forgetting about finding out where they were, he started to search the small cockpit for her.

Now that Shera and Sephiroth no longer leaned on his back, Zax managed to sit up as well. In his arms, Cloud seemed to be doing well, only a bit bruised. The Soldier checked them both, but couldn't find any serious injuries. Shera stuttered that she was alright, although she didn't dare to open her eyes.

Jenova had fallen to their feet, still half wrapped in Vincent's cape, and as soon as Sephiroth found her, he sat back up and turned his attention to the others. Seeing that Zackery seemed alright, he took a closer look at Shera's injuries and frowned.

"Sit very still, I'll get them out and clean the wounds. Highwind, do you have fresh water and a cloth? Zackery, are you both all right?"

"Yeah..." Zax muttered as Cid searched the cockpit, coming up with a water bottle and an old towel. Sephiroth took them, and started to take care of Shera. Zax turned away, not feeling up to watch the procedure. Cid also turned his attention to check how badly the Tiny Bronco had been injured.

"Aww my poor baby, don't worry, everything's gonna be ok..." Zax heard the Captain mutter every now and then and wondered if Shera took comfort in the words as well. She didn't budge or complain, even though it must have hurt. Soldiers were used to pain, but he had to wonder what she'd had to get used to, not to complain at all.

Cloud started to stir in his arms, and the Soldier turned his attention to the boy. "Mom..." was the first word from the pale lips. Zax pulled him to a more comfortable position, feeling Sephiroth's stare, even though the General was still pulling glass from skin.

"Cloudy? You ok?" He asked quietly, and the blue eyes opened slowly.

"Z-zax? Wh...where's mom? Where are we?"

"I'm sure your mom's fine, she's at Rocket Town, remember? We're... somewhere. In the middle of the ocean, probably." Zax explained, taking a look around the small plane. With the sun shining brightly, he couldn't see that much, but there still wasn't any sign of land anywhere.

Cloud seemed satisfied enough with the answer and closed his eyes again. "I'm thirsty..."

"Highwind, is there any more water on board? Or any kind of food?" Sephiroth asked, staring intently at Shera's face again. Cid stopped what he was doing, froze for a second, swore and started to search the cockpit again. Zax looked at the bottle in Shera's hands. It was half empty. He would usually see it half full, but now it was very much half empty. If it was all they had, it was nothing. He started to look for water as well, if for no other reason than to keep himself from panicking.

"...nothing." Cid sat up and turned to stare out into the sea, chewing at the filter of his cigarette as if wondering whether it was edible. Zax couldn't find anything either, and turned his eyes back to the bottle which Shera now clutched like a lifesaver. Sephiroth frowned.

"Well, that's all of them. There doesn't seem to be any unrepairable damage done. If someone has a cure or heal materia, we can take care of it right away."

Cid swore and let his head fall to his hands. "All mine are at the house. With my spear. Damn it."

Zax checked his as well, although he knew that he only had a weak bolt and a stronger fire. "Don't you have an ice, Seph?"

"Yes..." the General lifted one eyebrow. "Why?"

"Well, couldn't you ice something and then we can let it melt and get some water... right?"

"...let's make that plan B." Sephiroth muttered, trying not to grin. "First, we could try to find some land. I'm sorry, miss Shera, but the situation being this, I don't think we can spend water to clean the cuts."

"It's all right..." Shera whispered and opened her eyes carefully. Cid turned back to fixing his baby, and the others fell silent.

* * *

"I'm telling you, man, it would work!"

"And what, pray tell, should I ice? You?"

Cloud and Shera both smiled at the conversation. Zax noticed it and grinned, as his goal had been to get them to think something else than their possible deaths. Cid still swore on the pilot's seat, bent down to fix something. Sephiroth idly ran his hand over Jenova's strange helmet and watched the sea, answering Zackery's words without thinking about it too much, knowing that the Soldier only wanted to lift their spirits.

Cloud still sat on Zax's lap and stared at the endless sea, sharp eyes looking for any sign of land. Shera was leaning her head against the Soldier's shoulder, her cut and somewhat swollen face turned away from the bright, midday sun, which hid behind clouds only momentarily, otherwise scorching them.

From the movements of the sun they had figured that they were heading south. The stretch of water between the larger continent and Wutai wasn't that wide, they should have spotted land already. Unless the current had taken them away from between the stretches of land, to the open sea which stretched to who knew how far. It was a possibility, but they all silently prayed that it wasn't the case here.

"Yes!" Cid suddenly screamed, startling everyone. Four surprised faces turned to watch as the Captain pressed a few buttons and turned some switches, and they were even more surprised when the plane beneath them shook a little, and the propellers started to turn, slowly at first but gaining speed. "Yes! Yes! I am SO the man!" Cid screamed and let out a half-maniacal laugh, making Zax think that they had all been in the sun way too long, especially when he also screamed with delight. Cloud perked up in his arms, smiling widely as they turned around and the propellers threw refreshing showers on them.

"Welcome, lady and gentlemen, to Highwind travels! Our current destination is the inn and the bar of the quaint Closest-freakin'-town-to-wherever-the-fuck-we-are, so buckle up and enjoy the ride!" Cid announced with a laugh, and everyone did just that.

More clouds had gathered, and when they finally reached land, it started to rain. It was a refreshing change after the scorching heat, but as it only grew stronger the more they walked, it soon became a nuisance. But they soon saw a small town in the horizon, and reached it eventually, just as they heard the first roars of thunder. Cid went to the inn, to book rooms for them all while the others waited. Shera spotted a small clinic and went to get her cuts treated while the others got into their rooms.

The Captain led the other men to the second floor of the inn, and stopped in the warm, dimly lit hallway. "Okay, I managed to get us three rooms. I suggest we give one to the little lady... how do we share the other two?"

Cloud yawned, finally warm again after the rain. "Can I stay with you, Zax?"

The Soldier nodded and looked at his General. "Fine by me. Seph?"

"How many beds do the rooms have?"

"One has one, Shera could take that. The others have two each." Cid seemed unsure about both staying with the General and letting the three of them stay in the same room.

"I'd rather share with Zackery, as well, so we can plan what we do next. You may take the third room, Captain." Sephiroth finally said and reached his hand out for the key. Cid shrugged and gave it to him.

"Fine. The man says there's food in two hours, the first meal's on the house. Might as well ask if Shera wouldn't mind sharing a room with me, we could get the money back from the third one..." the blond muttered and wandered to another door. Sephiroth opened theirs and Zax carried Cloud over the threshold and onto a double bed. Both the beds were large enough for two. Sephiroth set his Masamune on the other and went to look out between the curtains while Zax lit up a lamp. It illuminated the small but cozy room, making it look absolutely inviting, even though it was very small and obviously rarely used. But to the exhausted men it was like a penthouse suite.

"Anything interesting?" Zax asked while stripping off his sword and boots. Sephiroth shook his head.

"It's a small town... very peaceful. I doubt many people saw us, we should be safe here until morning." He said and watched Shera leave the clinic and run to the inn, trying to stay as dry as possible, or at least not get any more wet.

Zax started to search the room a bit more carefully. On the wall next to the bed Cloud was fast falling asleep on he found a small door, almost hidden by the wood carvings all over the wall. He opened it and switched on the light.

"Bahamut's wings, there's a shower! And a bathtub! Sephy, we've died and gone to the Promised Land!"

The General chuckled and came to take a look. "Seems like it..."

"I call first shower!" Zax announced and started to strip. Cloud muttered sleepily and pulled a blanket over his head. Sephiroth went to his bed and also started to get out of his soaking clothes, realizing that he was very much looking forward to a hot shower.

About an hour after Zax and Sephiroth had both enjoyed the hot water and soap to their fullest, there was a knock on the door. The Soldier yawned and stretched, half asleep on the bed next to a sleeping Cloud. His head was hurting a bit, and Zax figured that his guess at being hit in the head during the emergency landing wasn't too far fetched.

Sephiroth, wearing only his trousers, got up from his bed and went to the door. "Who is it?"

"Cid. Shera an' me are going down to get some grub, you guys wanna come?" came the muffled answer. Sephiroth looked at the other two before opening the door a bit.

"It might be wiser if we stayed in the room, out of sight. Could you have them send something here?"

"Sure, sure..." Cid nodded and gave him one last suspicious glare before heading down the stairs. Sephiroth closed and locked the door and went to the window.

"...food?" Zax asked and sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. The General nodded.

"They'll bring some for us. Better we stay here, you and I may be recognized. I don't know how public Shin-Ra is making this little hunt."

"Good idea, boss." Zax said with a grin and got up, stretching.

The food arrived in a few minutes, and the Soldier woke Cloud as well, although the boy only drank some water and took very small pieces of Zax's medium-rare steak. He felt a bit awkward eating in front of the older men, especially as Sephiroth kept staring at him. Not angrily or even accusingly, as he had feared. The General just stared.

Zax noticed it and decided that he'd have to talk with Sephiroth about all this, as soon as possible. He still had no idea how much the silver-haired man listened to the voices in his head, how much the severed head was affecting his decisions and actions. And how long he intended to carry it around. The Soldier's violet eyes slid over to the blue thing, seated, well, as seated as a head could be, comfortably on Sephiroth's pillow. It seemed to be smiling at him, laughing. With a shudder he finished his meal, studying the wooden floor with almost zealous interest.

"Um. I think I'll go and have a shower too..." Cloud muttered as the other two had finished eating. Zax offered to help him, but the boy assured him that he would manage, and walked shakily to the small bathroom.

As soon as the door closed, Sephiroth started to pull his boots on. Zax watched him dress but didn't open his mouth until the General was strapping his sword to his hips and the sound of running water could be heard from the bathroom.

"Going somewhere, Seph?"

"Yes." Sephiroth answered, glancing at Jenova's head but leaving it on the pillow. "I'm going for a walk, as it stopped raining. I'll be back in an hour or two. Lock the door after I'm gone, and don't let anyone in."

Zax nodded and leaned back on the bed, his weight resting on his elbows. "What about not letting anyone see us?"

"Oh, I'll be careful. I'll find out where exactly we are, and after I come back we can figure out our next step."

"Yes sir! Have fun!" The Soldier saluted with a grin and fell on his back. Sephiroth shook his head slightly and opened the door. After making sure that no one was around, he sneaked out. A few minutes later, Zax got up to lock the door and went to the window.

Evening was falling fast, the darkness of the cloudy sky changing into the darkness of the night. The clouds had almost disappeared, and the first stars were coming out, along with a crescent moon. The small town bathed in its light, the wet roofs and streets glowing slightly. Everything was peaceful and quiet, the town blissfully unaware of their problems.

With a sigh the Soldier let the curtains fall back in front of the window, and wandered to the bed. The water stopped running soon in the bathroom, and after a few quiet moments, Cloud stepped out, followed by a cloud of steam. Zax smiled at him as the boy tiptoed over the cold floor to get to the bed. Once safely back on it, he pulled off one of the blankets and wrapped into it.

"Nice shower?" The Soldier asked after a few more quiet moments. Cloud nodded and lifted his shoulders against the cold. The movement made him hiss with pain.

"C'mere..." Zax muttered, sat up and pulled the boy back to where he had been sleeping. He threw another blanket over the blond and took an extra one for himself from Sephiroth's bed, lying down comfortably next to Cloud. Wide, blue eyes stared up at him from beneath the blankets, as if asking what was going on. The Soldier frowned. "Are you ok?"

"...yeah..." Cloud nodded after a moment and blinked slowly. "I'm just worried about mom... she'll be all right, won't she? Maybe I should go back to her?"

Zax bit his lip and shook his head. "I'm sure she'll be fine, it's like Seph said, they were after us, not her. She'll know not to get in their way. Us, on the other hand, we'll be in it up to our ears if we go back right now. The Turks will try to find us, and have probably alerted all of the Soldiers and cadets as well. And the usual law enforcers. Some of the Soldiers are really devoted to Seph, but they know that Shin-Ra will chop off their heads without a second thought if they won't follow orders, so... basically, someone sees us, we're screwed, as good Captain Highwind would put it." He chewed on an imaginary cigarette which made Cloud smile.

"You think... she hates me? Because of what I did?" The boy asked next, smile disappearing, replaced with pain in his eyes. "...you think... I'm really a monster?"

Zax swallowed and frowned again. He still remembered what Ame had told him about family and her son, back in Rocket Town. Her actions hadn't really backed up her words, but then again, no one had guessed what would and could happen.

"I think she was just shocked, that's all. I mean a week ago, Nibelheim was still in one piece and she thought you were dead, right? Now her home's burned down and you and the rest of our merry band dropped into her life, and... I'm sure it was just a big shock, you know... and you know the Turks, what they told her could be just a lie." He hoped that Cloud would believe his words, and that they were the truth.

"I hope so..." the blond muttered and sighed. He really didn't know what he could believe, or where to begin to search for the truth. He couldn't trust Hojo, but the professor was probably the only one who knew for sure what he was. The boy toyed with the corner of his blanket for a while, thinking, but coming up with nothing. Frustrated, he looked up and noticed something. "Where's Sephiroth?"

"He went to find out where exactly we are, and I think he needed a moment alone. When he comes back we'll figure what we're gonna do next."

"Can I... when you leave, can I come with you?" Cloud asked quietly, not even daring to look up to him. A smile grew onto Zax's face and he ruffled the damp spikes.

"Of course you can! You thought we'd leave you to fight the Turks alone?"

Cloud looked up to his eyes and answered the smile with his, happy that he wouldn't have to be alone. "Thank you..." with that, he almost hid underneath the blanket.

"No problem, kid." Zax yawned and pulled up his blanket, snuggling deeper into the warm bed. They lay quietly for a while until Cloud poked his head out again.

"Do you think we can go and help Vincent?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"I'm kinda afraid to sleep, because I dream of him and he's always hurting. Hojo's hurting him, and someone else, someone I don't know... and it kinda hurts me, too, when they hurt him."

Zax, laying on his back, reached out with one hand to comfort the boy, and pulled him a bit closer. "Wish there was something I could do to help... both of you. He helped us out, and even if I didn't know him, the thought of ANYONE having to put up with shit like that from Hojo..." the muscles in his hands clenched instinctively, and his hands curled into fists of rage, as if the Soldier could grab the professor right now and strangle the life out of him. "I never liked him... all Soldiers eventually have to meet him, when we get the Mako-treatments. I hated him even before that, for what he did to Seph."

"...what did he do?"

"All the experiments. And then he'd always, ALWAYS have to know where exactly Seph was, every second of the day. Creepy son of a bitch. And Hojo's even creepier."

Cloud let out a small laugh and the Soldier chuckled, absently running his hand through the blond spikes.

"He was always, and I guess he still is, obsessed with Seph. Some say it's understandable, but I think it's sick." While he spoke, he tried to come up with something less depressing to talk about, but every topic he came up with eventually led to some sort of tragedy. So he ended up telling Cloud about his hometown and how he'd ended up a Soldier. The boy told him how he'd always wanted to become a Soldier, how he'd decided it at the age of seven.

They hadn't talked for much more than an hour when Cloud started to yawn. Zax was soon yawning as well, but he didn't want to fall asleep until Sephiroth came back.

Cloud curled up to a little ball, and the Soldier was sure he was asleep already, when glowing eyes opened again and stared up at him. "Zax?"

"Yeah?"

"...umm... if I have a bad dream... can you... wake me?" The last words were so quiet Zax barely heard them, but heard them anyway and smiled.

"Sure. Good night, Cloudy..."

"...good night, Zax..."

A knock on the door woke the Soldier about half an hour later, but it was just a maid, coming to get the dishes. Zax opened the door enough to give her the trays and locked it again. Wondering how long he'd slept, he wandered quietly to the window and peeked out.

The sky was clear, not a cloud in sight. The crescent moon was shining brightly, competing with the hundreds of stars. Zax cocked his head and looked at the familiar patterns. They were the same stars he'd watched as a kid, so they couldn't be too far from Gongaga. Probably on the same small continent, split from the larger one by a river. He didn't recognize the town, though, but there were numerous small towns like this along the coast, many of them not even known about in the bigger world, small towns that survived by themselves by fishing or farming.

The lights were already out in most of the houses, and there weren't many streetlights either, but he could still recognize the two walking figures on the street, coming towards the inn. The Captain's ever present cigarette was glowing in the dark, and light glimmered on the edges of Shera's glasses. He figured that they'd gone and gotten them fixed somewhere in town. Cid seemed as grumpy as ever as they walked across the street, Shera following the man a bit slower. Zax just hoped that the Turks weren't actively looking for the two as well, or they couldn't walk that freely in any town soon.

A few moments later there was a knock on the door, and when he went to it, Cid announced through the wood that they were going to bed.

"Ok, see you in the morning. Sleep well." Zax said loud enough to be heard but quiet enough not to wake Cloud.

"Yeah, yeah..." Cid's voice answered and was soon followed by the sound of a door slamming shut. Wondering what his problem was, Zax went back to the bed and sat down, waiting for his General.

He was sure that he'd sat there more than an hour when a sharp knock finally came from the door. He got up to unlock the door and Sephiroth stepped noiselessly in. Zax closed the door and went to stand behind the other man, crossing his arms over his chest.

"You call that an hour or two?" The Soldier demanded as soon as his superior turned to face him. Sephiroth just stared at him for a moment before heading for his bed, opening his belts and buckles.

"Sorry, Zackery, I didn't realize you cared..." the silver-haired man muttered and Zax was about to object before catching the amused tone. With a sigh the Soldier rolled his eyes.

"Did you at least find out anything?"

"Yes. We're in a small town, nearer Cosmo Canyon than Gongaga. The Turks aren't yet searching for us here, hopefully they first search the area around Rocket Town and Wutai, where we were last seen heading. In the morning we'll find a transport. Or catch some chocobos. Then head north."

"Where are you intending to go? Midgar? Or back to Nibelheim?" Zax asked quietly, wondering if he'd get a chance to see his parents if they went through Gongaga.

Sephiroth didn't answer for a moment, shrugging out of his long jacket. The Soldier waited patiently as the General hung the garment neatly on a peg and pulled off his boots.

"Nibelheim. I want to get to the bottom of this, and it's as good a place to start as any. There are still things there that we have missed, and if Hojo's there..."

"Cloud says that he has Vincent. If they're in Nibelheim, we can help him out. Make Hojo take that slave collar off."

Sephiroth listened quietly and turned to look at the sleeping boy.

"They have some sort of connection, he can feel Vincent somehow." Zax explained further and scratched his neck. "I told Cloudy we'd take him with us, if that's okay with you."

"Cloudy?" Sephiroth raised an eyebrow and turned his Mako eyes to his friend. The Soldier grinned sheepishly and shrugged, spreading his arms.

"Well, he is kinda... cloudy. The same way you're... sephy."

"That... doesn't make any... never mind." Sephiroth closed his eyes and shook his head while Zax grinned. At least the Jenova-creature wasn't affecting Sephiroth's sense of humour, although most people would argue that the man didn't even possess any. But how could he find out how much influence she had on him without making him raise his walls and close up completely?

"If you're trying to figure her out, don't worry about it. I'm in control of the situation." Sephiroth suddenly said, startling Zax. The General smirked at his surprised expression and sat on the bed, picking up the head. "That is what you were thinking, wasn't it?"

Zax nodded slowly and sat on the edge of his bed, careful not to disturb Cloud. "Umm. Yeah. It kind of worries me, you know... not knowing what the hell is going on between you two. Not that I know that much about anything else anymore..." The Soldier decided to just tell the truth, now that Sephiroth seemed to be in a conversational mood.

The General chuckled quietly and shook his head. "Neither do I, Zackery. Maybe we'll know some day. But at the moment we have to concentrate on this mess we're all in. Tomorrow..." he looked out of the window and frowned. "Tomorrow... we'll head to Nibelheim."

* * *

A.N: Word is being annoying... I just love Windows. Some progress, though, I actually know how this is going to end... mwa ha haaaaa... how I'm gonna get there... heh. No idea. But if there are no huge changes of plan, there'll be only a few more chapters left. I think.

Is some part of this not making sense? I keep feeling like I'm missing something... garrr... please review?


	16. Chapter Fourteen

Every the-word (even this one) was originally written teh in this chapter. Which is annoying. As is the fact that I own nothing, nothing at all. pulls pockets inside out See? All the money went to paying for the school trip to London.

And if it were up to Zax, this would be a ZxC-story... umm wait, it IS up to Zax... .  
Zax: YES! I'm gonna score!!  
Me: -.-;;;

* * *

**Chapter fourteen: Roadtripping**

**-**

The large, black and red demon flexed its wings and growled at the small, alien woman who stood next to him in the depths of subconsciousness. "He's onto us. He must have realized that we can only reach him when he sleeps. So he doesn't." Chaos rumbled and turned to face the woman. She smiled and shrugged.

"He's just human, after all. He has to sleep sometime. We will get our chance. You just worry about not letting the other three find out about this, and I'll take care of the rest." She didn't speak any of the languages the demon knew, not any of the languages of this planet, but he could still understand her. "Once he falls asleep, I'll talk with him, he'll do what I need him to do, and then you can have his body. I don't think he'll put up much of a fight at that stage anymore... already he's tired of this all, and wishes to be free from it. If we play this right, you won't even have to fight him for control."

Her words made the demon smirk in a way that would have made anyone else uncomfortable or scared out of their minds. She paid him no attention, though, and merely looked up.

"He's so tired... ah, see, here he comes."

Chaos growled and unfolded his wings as Vincent's thin body began to materialize, not far from where they were standing. A slender hand stopped the demon before his temper got the better of him.

"Wait here... I'll take care of this..." she said in a low tone, and Chaos watched as her body and its colouring changed in front of his eyes.

* * *

"My sins... they are far worse than I had thought..." the ex-Turk muttered, not caring anymore that the four demons might attack him at any moment. Actually, it would be something of a release, at least he could forget everything else for a while. His sins, what he'd done wrong, and who had suffered because of him. How they had suffered. He felt that his own torment was nothing compared to what he'd let them go through, and that any punishment he'd receive wouldn't be enough to make amends. Nothing could purify his soul from the terrible stains he'd brought upon it.

"Lucretia... I betrayed you. In so many ways. I was never worthy of you. But I thought that I could ease your spirit, and mine, by making sure Hojo never hurt another soul in his life. But I failed. I...

"Cloud... I thought that if I'd manage to get him out of the mansion, away from Hojo, that he could live a life... that it wasn't too late for him, as it was for you and me. But I was wrong, and it was too late. Hojo had already left his mark on the boy's soul, twisted it into something horrible... he's not human anymore...

"And Sephiroth... Lucretia, my love, I fear that I betrayed our son the worst. By not helping you, he was left to Hojo, to be tested upon as a child, to be given to that monster Jenova. He's gone, it's too late to save him as well. Too late, all too late..."

"Not necessarily, dear Vincent..."

He spun around, completely taken by surprise as he recognized the quiet voice. His red eyes went wide as he saw her, looking just like he'd remembered. "...Lucretia..." and suddenly, his body was once again that of a young Turk. Vincent was clad in the dark-blue uniform of the elite group, his black hair neatly trimmed, his left arm normal. And Lucretia was with him, in her pure white laboratory coat, long brown hair tied up high. They were standing at the well, in the middle of Nibelheim, under a starry sky. As if the last over 25 years had never happened.

But he still knew, even though he wanted so much to deny it, he knew that this was just a dream. The world stood too still around them, quiet and without any smells, like the set of a play. The smoke coming out of the chimneys didn't move at all, no wind stirred the leaves of the trees, and clouds stood still in the sky. But she... she felt so real, her chest rising and falling, her hairs moving slightly to a wind that touched only her, bringing the smell of her perfume to him. She was perfect.

Almost too perfect. Too alluring, too sweet, too much of everything. One of the reasons he'd originally fallen for her was that she was so peaceful, smart and wise, but so normal. A haven of stability in his life. But Vincent didn't get a chance to think what was going on as she suddenly stepped so close to him, wrapped her slender arms around his neck and kissed his lips, feeling so warm, so soft, and tasting just slightly of strawberries, which was the flavour of her lip balm. Just like he'd remembered her. And she was all his now, the promise was in that kiss, so clearly, it was in every inch and fiber of her body.

Her lips left his, too soon, as she stepped away and started to guide him up to the top of the well, where they had used to sit and watch the stars on cloudless nights, just sit and enjoy each other's company, and perhaps, occasionally, do a bit more than that. All the memories and feelings came flooding back to him, and Vincent wanted so much to believe that this was really happening, that this was real and everything else had just been a bad dream. He'd tell her about it, she'd laugh, at first, and then start to analyze the dream until he'd stop her with a kiss...

"You always worry so much, Vincent..." she whispered and he realized that they were at the top of the well. Her arms slipped around his neck again, and her soft lips found his. Soon Vincent forgot all of his sins and worries, and drowned in their all-consuming love.

* * *

Staring at the myriads of stars above them, his head on her lap, Vincent suddenly remembered something.

"Lucretia... earlier, did you say something about it not being too late to help... our son?"

He couldn't see her smirk, but it turned to a gentle smile when she looked down. Stroking his hair, she leaned down and placed a kiss on his forehead before speaking. "Yes, I did. He's coming back here. Maybe you'll get to see him. Oh I envy you so much... he's not completely under Jenova's control yet, but there isn't much time left. You have to save him."

Vincent sat up and grabbed her hands with his perfect human hands, and stared deep into her eyes. "I'll do anything. Just tell me how I can help him, and I will do it."

She turned her eyes down to their joined hands, to appear desperate and to hide the glint of joy from her eyes. "Jenova is a wise one, and she's capable of controlling weaker minds, even if they have just a hint of her essence in them. She can make them do whatever she wants. Do you understand what I mean?" She looked up to his eyes now, and after a silent moment Vincent nodded.

"There are things that Sephiroth is blind to. Things he can't see as possible threats. But they are dangerous, and you must protect him from them. Make sure they won't be able to hurt him. Please Vincent, take care of our son!" She leaned her head against his chest and let out a sob.

The ex-Turk stared ahead for a while, as the world seemed to grow colder. But he was ready to do anything to help his only child. With a sigh, he closed his eyes and held her close.

* * *

Cloud let out a long breath and opened his eyes. The wind blew his long, blonde hairs to his face, and some of them stuck to his sweaty forehead as he tried very hard not to be sick. He had come to the conclusion that he really hated cars. This was his first ride in one, and if there was any justice in the world, it would be his last as well. The fact that Zax was apparently completely speed blind didn't help at all.

The blond sat at the backseat of a small, convertible buggy, leaning heavily on the backrest, staring at the scenery they left fast behind them. Zax was driving like they were chased by a horde of demons, or at least the car's owner. The Soldier had gone alone to Cosmo Canyon for supplies, and had returned with the car, food, clothes and weapons. And there was no way he could have afforded it all.

They had left Cid and Shera that morning, back at the little village. The two Rocket Towners had decided to fix up Tiny Bronco and then go into hiding for a while, until things calmed down. Highwind had almost gone with them, but had decided against it when he'd realized he'd have to leave his beloved plane behind. But they had both wished them well, and Cid had told Zax to get in touch with him once they'd return from Nibelheim. He hadn't, however, given the Soldier any kind of idea about where he'd be then.

Sephiroth sat on the front seat, staring at the scenery, his silvery hair flowing behind him like a flag, glittering in the sun. The General tried not to think much about anything, like, for example, Jenova's head which traveled on his lap, protected up to the eyes by Vincent's cape. He hadn't actually told the truth to Zax last night, about being in control of the situation. She hadn't talked to him but she was becoming a part of him, sliding into his thoughts and cells like a snake, a part of him that was harder and harder to give up. Like a drug habit. They didn't talk with each other, but soon they wouldn't even need to.

But Sephiroth tried not to think about it right now. The loud music blaring from the radio helped, he couldn't concentrate at all, especially since his friend liked to sing along. Loud. Even if he didn't really know the words.

"Here comes the sun... here comes the su-un! She is the brightest star--"

"Zackery, PLEASE be quiet, just for a minute or two..." Sephiroth finally lost his patience. The Soldier smirked and looked at him over his sunglasses, also 'bought' from Cosmo Canyon, and turned the music louder.

"HERE COMES THE SUUUUN!"

A thwack to the back of his head from Cloud finally shut the Soldier up.

"Thank you." Sephiroth muttered and glanced over his shoulder, at the boy. Cloud's eyes went wide as soon as the man turned away. It was the first time the General had said anything to him after Rocket Town.

Just before nightfall they stopped before the ford of the great river that separated the smaller island from the main western continent. From there to Nibelheim it would be a straight, easy road over fields of grass, with mountains to their right and the sea to their left.

"If we don't encounter too many monsters, we should reach Nibelheim tomorrow evening..." Sephiroth calculated as they stopped right on the southern side of the river for the night. Cloud nodded while they watched the sun dive into the horizon, far in the west. Zax had brought the boy some clothes from Cosmo Canyon, a long-sleeved t-shirt, jacket and a pair of old army boots that were too large but warm enough against the cold night air.

The Soldier himself was busy searching through the car's trunk. Sephiroth raised an eyebrow and decided to find out how exactly he had afforded all this luxury. He left the blond to admire the sunset and walked back to the car.

"Zackery." The General said as he stopped just out of the younger man's line of sight. Zax jumped and, as Sephiroth had guessed, hit his head to the inside of the trunk's bonnet.

"Oww! Shit!" The Soldier screamed and backed away before trying to stand up again. Rubbing his head, he looked at the smirking General. "Ha ha haa! Let's make Zax hurt himself!"

"You know you are asking for it." Sephiroth answered, still smirking, and walked to look inside the trunk. There was a canister of gasoline for the car, a small tent and two sleeping bags, two fishing rods and a box for all the lures and hooks. Or that's what he thought they were called, he had never in his life even held a fishing rod. Zax pulled one of them out and winked.

"How about fish tonight? I got us some fruits and bread, but you can't beat a good, fresh fish, cooked over a campfire." The dark-haired man suggested with a big grin that said that he was going to go fishing no matter what anyone else said. Sephiroth just shrugged.

"Fine. How did you afford all this?" He slid a gloved finger over the smooth, bright red side of the car, recognizing the model as very expensive and quite new.

"Umm." Zax's grin turned sheepish and he scratched his neck. "Well I kinda didn't. Seriously, Seph, you didn't believe for a second that I carry enough cash to buy a CAR? No way. I... loaned it. Kind of. 'cept that the owner doesn't know I took it. But I left a note. For the rest, I paid."

"What does the note say? 'Ha ha haa'?"

"Ha! Well no, it says Thank you for your car, if it's not returned to you in a week or two, you can send a bill to the Soldier Academy. Have a nice day!"

"...you stole someone's car and wrote a note saying Have a Nice day?" Sephiroth checked, amused. Zax shrugged and smiled, pulled out the other rod and offered it to his General.

"Yeah, sure! And I figured we'd be heading back the same way, so we can leave it there, no harm done! You wanna come and fish with me?"

"I'll see if I can find a place for the fire somewhere out of sight. Take the kid along, he could use some cheering up." Sephiroth said and turned towards the hills, leaving Zax staring after him.

The Soldier stared at the dark figure and glanced inside the car from the corner of his eyes. Jenova's head was still sitting, figuratively speaking, on the front seat. Zax didn't know if it was a coincidence or if the head had turned by itself, but it was staring straight at him, sending shivers up and down his spine. He swore that it was radiating hate towards him. After a moment he managed to shrug it off and turn away. At least Sephiroth wasn't carrying it around all of the time.

"Hey Cloudy, come on! Fishing time!"

* * *

Sephiroth was glad to be alone and in the relative quiet of the nature for a while. He had managed not to dwell on his problems during the day, mostly thanks to the loud music and Cloud being sick in the backseat, but they had been lurking around the corners of his mind, waiting for the split second he'd let his mind relax completely. At that moment they'd attack, demand that he'd not ignore them. That he wouldn't ignore her.

Just thinking about her made him feel the strength of the hold she had on him, and how she made her way deeper and deeper into him, just by being near him. And it... felt good. She gave him the feeling that she really cared for him, and would be there for him whenever he needed her. She'd never let him down... she was more than just his mother, she was the last of his kind, the only one he could trust, the only one who knew what he'd suffered and what he'd still have to suffer...

Sephiroth shook his head sharply to clear it. "No... I'm sorry, but you won't get me that easily..." he muttered and turned back to finding a place where they wouldn't be seen from the ford but they could see it. There hadn't been any sign of pursuit all day, and from what Zax had heard in Cosmo Canyon, or more like hadn't heard, the Turks weren't searching for them this far south. Yet. The only thing the people in town had known was that Nibelheim had burned down and that Shin-Ra's men were somehow responsible. But the news would travel fast, and the General wanted to stay out of people's eyes, didn't dare to believe that they were safe. He was easily recognized just about anywhere, and there were always people who could put two and two together.

He hoped that he had made the right decision by returning to Nibelheim. Saving Vincent from Hojo seemed like a good enough reason to return, but he also wanted to have a closer look at the professor's books, and the computer files Cloud had told him about. Sephiroth felt a bit annoyed at himself when he realized how selfish his reasons were. He wanted to see Vincent again, not necessarily because the man was his father but because he could tell him about the past. He hadn't really trusted the ex-Turk the last time they'd met, not until the man had helped him and the others escape. But the next thing Valentine had done disturbed him far more than the mistrust. He had turned into a demon of sorts. He wasn't human either. Neither was Jenova, and it would be an insult towards all mankind to call Hojo human. That only left Lucretia, and he didn't know anything about her. What she had been. How much of a monster he really was. So far, she was the only human bit in his genotype. If she'd turn to be just like the rest, what would that make him? How human could she be if she had been ready to sacrifice her unborn child to science, knowing that he'd be left in Hojo's hands?

With such dark thoughts Sephiroth walked deeper into the small forest, turning back every now and then to check on the car and his friends. What would they think of him, of such a monster?

* * *

"Here, hold it like... this! That's it! Now let the line go slack a bit... there you go..."

"What... what do I do now?"

"Now? We wait."

Zax sat back, the rod held lazily in his hands while Cloud sat up straight, holding his awkwardly. The Soldier looked at the boy with a raised eyebrow, something he'd picked up from Sephiroth and learned by sitting in front of the mirror for a few hours. "Damn, kid, I thought you were kidding when you said you haven't fished before."

Cloud snorted but smiled a bit, even though it was a sad smile. "Mom told me that dad did take me fishing a couple of times, but that was a long time ago and I can't remember it at all. After he... died... I just stayed with mom, mostly, until I learned to fight and started to look for monsters."

"Sorry... I used to go fishing a lot, there was a river close to Gongaga, well, still is, but the reactor's been polluting the water for a long time now. Sometimes we just fished to put the fishes out of their misery."

"How can you work for Shin-Ra when you know all the bad things that they do? I mean, I wanted to be a Soldier as well, but I don't know anymore... I don't think I could work for anyone who hurts people like they do, and the Planet as well. Why can't they see what they're doing? Don't they care?"

Zax sighed and shook his head, a sad smile on his lips. Lately he had been wondering the very same things himself, well, when he hadn't been running from bullets or exploding reactors. "When I got into Soldier, it was pretty much just... a job. I always knew how to fight. Then it was for Seph. Now... I honestly don't know. Maybe I've seen too much in the last few days to continue working for them anymore. I mean, I'm still young, I can get another job no problem.

"As for why they hurt people... Cid figured that it's because we're nothing but numbers to them. We either make gil for them or make them lose it. It's made them blind. All they can see is gil. In people, in Mako, in everything. It's either profitable, or then it's nothing to them."

Cloud stared thoughtfully at the water streaming past them and sighed. "Isn't there anything we can do?"

"Well, maybe if there's enough of us who see what's going on, maybe we could make them see as well. Whether they believe it or not... that's another thing. But don't worry about it now, we're fishing! We talk politics like this, the fishes are gonna fall asleep and swim right past the hooks!"

Cloud laughed quietly and relaxed as well. His back was still hurting a bit, but not too much as he leaned against a rock that was still warm from the sun's rays. "What are you supposed to talk about, then? While fishing? What do the fishes want to hear?"

Zax pulled a thoughtful expression on his face, even rubbed his chin. "Well, we used to talk about whatever came to our minds. That'll relax the fishes, see, and make them believe it's safe to just... hang around, no pun intended. Get them hooked on our conversation." The Soldier winked, grinning widely. "So, we could just chat. Like buddies."

Cloud turned his eyes to the water and shrugged. "...I wouldn't know about that... I've never had buddies..." the boy said quietly. Zax went serious and scooted a bit closer.

"Well, you have now. You got me and Sephy. He can be a bit cold at times, but that's just the way he is, nothing personal. You can always count on us." The Soldier said and smiled gently when Cloud looked up, surprised and unsure whether he could believe the words. But Zax's smile was so honest that he figured he could. Especially when the man leaned closer and grabbed the back of his head, pulling their foreheads together. "Friends, Cloudy. Friends." Zax released him and smiled one more time before turning his eyes to the water, where baffled Cloud's string was being pulled. "And that's how you catch fish!"

By the time the brave fishermen returned, Sephiroth had found a small, secluded valley, or more like just a hole in the ground, surrounded from three sides with boulders, and got the fire going. They cooked the two fishes they'd managed to catch, and Zax and Sephiroth ate them with a good appetite. Cloud just drank some water, claiming that he was still feeling sick from Zax's speeding across the hills and fields of grass.

Darkness had fallen when they were eating, and all three decided that it would be for the best to get as much sleep as possible. Sephiroth chose to sleep in the car, letting the two spike-heads poke each other's eyes out in the tent. He'd shared a bed with Zax a few times, and even though his own hair was longer, the Soldier's mane had tickled him all night and found its way to his face and mouth. And if this was their last night before arriving to Nibelheim, he wanted to have a good night's sleep, not knowing what waited for them in their destination.

It was good to watch the stars and the endless sky, feeling that he was nothing at all compared to them, that his worries and decisions meant nothing to them. It was peaceful, until he started to wonder which planets the Cetra had visited. How many times had they moved to another one, how many centuries, how many millennia had they spent traveling across the skies? What kind of worlds had they arrived upon, and would he ever get to see any of them? If he truly was a descendant of that race, shouldn't he have the privilege of seeing those planets as well? Shouldn't he be allowed to visit them all, see how superior he was compared to the races that dwelled upon them? Shouldn't he rule them all? How would he like to be a god?

"Sssstop it..." the General hissed as he realized what was happening. "Stop putting thoughts into my head." He looked over the backrest to the front seat where Jenova's head sat, smirking at him. Always smirking. He instinctively lifted his hands to cover his ears, but forced them down and focused on the noises the night animals were making.

* * *

Cloud lay on his back, staring at the canvas above him, the mouth of the sleeping bag pulled up to his chin. He was tired, and his back still ached from the injuries, but the blond couldn't sleep. He missed his mother and worried over her, still wondering if he should have gone to her, and if she'd just tell him to go away if he did. He wanted to believe Zax's words from last night, wanted to believe that she had just been shocked, but couldn't help doubting it. The pain the thought caused felt worse than the bullets that had ripped through his body. Those kind of wounds could be healed, and even the scars would fade in time, but he couldn't believe that anything could take away the feeling of betrayal and being abandoned.

A small tear escaped from his eye and slid down his cheek. Cloud reached out a hand from the warmth of the bag and wiped it away before it got to his ear. She'd called him a monster for what he'd done. Humans didn't eat other human beings, not even small bites of them. He'd done just that. Twice, yet. He was a monster, and she had left him.

Now he feared that Vincent had done the same. Until last night, he couldn't even close his eyes without feeling something of the man's thoughts or pains. But last night he hadn't felt anything at all. He hadn't even dreamt, his sleep had been pure darkness. It had given his body strength, but only tortured his mind more than the usual, lifelike dreams. At least he had known before that Vincent still lived. Did the darkness mean that the ex-Turk had died? Or that he had felt no pain just then? There was no way the boy could know, he couldn't reach the man, didn't know how he could even try such a thing. Maybe they'd arrive to Nibelheim too late.

Cloud didn't realize he had been sobbing until he felt Zax move closer, and a hand stroked his hair gently.

"Cloudy? What's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?" the sleepy Soldier asked quietly, his voice calm and soothing. Cloud shook his head and quickly swallowed the rest of his tears before they got out of his eyes.

"N-no... sorry, I didn't mean to wake you..."

"It's ok..." Zax muttered and rose, leaning on his elbow, watching the boy. "You can tell me what's wrong, you know... I told you that we're friends..."

Cloud closed his eyes and rubbed them quickly. He was feeling too miserable to be turned around by Zax's words this time. "How can you say that? You've only known me a couple of days, in which you've seen me kill two people and... how can you be friends with a monster like me?"

Zax blinked a few times and sighed, a small smile playing on his lips as he twirled a lock of blonde hair around his finger. "You don't need to know a person for years before you can call him a friend, you know... and you're NOT a monster, not any more than Seph is. Him I HAVE known for years, and can guarantee that he really is human. And besides..." the Soldier smirked a little and shrugged, leaning closer to the boy. "I've had the biggest crush on you ever since the first time I saw you, back at the mansion."

Blue eyes popped wide open and Cloud almost forgot to breathe as he looked up to the warm violet eyes, so close to his. Zax pulled away a little as the boy blushed. "You w... what? You... huh?"

The Soldier laughed quietly and shook his head, the longer spikes flying by just above Cloud's face. "Damn it but you're just too cute, Cloudy..." he muttered and touched the tip of the boy's nose with his finger. The blond blushed some more, opening and closing his mouth, unable to make any noise. Zax yawned and scratched his neck. "Sorry, kid, didn't mean to mess with your brain like that... just wanted to let you know... I don't fall like this for just about anyone, 'specially not monsters. You don't have to say anything back or even feel anything for me. It's ok. But just know that you're human, and that someone cares a hell of a lot for you. Now try to get some sleep, we have a long day ahead of us. Wake me if you have a nightmare, 'k?" He landed a small peck on Cloud's forehead, just above the wide eyes, and curled back into his own sleeping bag.

Cloud stared up, his mouth still hanging open as his brain processed the information. He'd been so young when Hojo had captured him, too young to think too much about the matters of the heart, so his mind just came up with a blank, not giving him any kind of answers about what he should do now or how he should react. So he decided to forget his fears, just for a second, and let his heart decide.

"...Zax?"

"Yeah?" The Soldier turned back to the boy, half asleep but curious.

Cloud bit his lip and, before losing his courage, leaned over and kissed the dark-haired man on the cheek. "Thanks. I think... I like you too." Then he zipped his sleeping bag up all the way and hid inside, leaving only blond spikes visible. Zax stared at him for a moment, surprised, but soon a wide smile spread on his face. The Soldier ruffled the spikes gently, wished the boy a good night and decided to finally get some sleep.

* * *

He hadn't meant to eavesdrop, wouldn't have wanted to, but thanks to Hojo, his hearing was better than perfect. He'd heard every word. And even though he had half seen it coming, it hurt. He hadn't realized he'd feel like this, after all, Zackery was his best friend. He should be happy for the Soldier. Not... jealous, angry, feeling like he'd just been stabbed in the back.

(/They will all betray you, leave you or turn against you. They'll find someone else, someone HUMAN, and forget about you./)

'Or maybe someone even less human than me... as long as it isn't me...' Sephiroth growled at the thought, at himself, at everything and rubbed his eyes hard. This was stupid. He was not thinking this, he'd never thought about this before, and he certainly wasn't crying. He'd never given Zackery any reason to think he'd feel that way about him. He had never even thought about it. And now that he did think about it, he still wasn't sure what he actually felt. Was he just jealous or did he really... no, he couldn't love the man, he had never loved anyone, no one had ever loved him. But why then did those words make him feel so bad inside? Why, when he'd himself just about pushed Zackery and Cloud together, told the Soldier to take care of the boy, not said anything when they'd shared the bed last night, and said himself that he'd rather sleep alone tonight, in the car.

But it still hurt, and made him feel alone. Now the stars above didn't comfort him at all, they just made him feel all the more alone and miserable. So cold and distant... seeming close but still so out of reach. He'd always kept himself like that, never letting anyone near enough to hurt him. Not even Zackery. They were close friends, but there was still so much the Soldier didn't know, and couldn't possibly understand. But maybe... maybe he'd been wrong. Maybe he should have let the younger man closer, even though it would have scared him to do so, to be so open and vulnerable.

Sephiroth wasn't crying, but the light of the stars still shimmered on the tears rolling down his cheeks.

* * *

Miles away in the north, in the darkness of a basement, Vincent felt his grip on sanity slipping as he stared at what once was the young professor Malaka. Between him and the tank, Hojo laughed and clapped his hands, thrilled at how fast the Jenova-cells had taken effect. The ex-Turk closed his eyes and felt them burn with tears. His dream had been so beautiful and peaceful, having to live in a reality like this was almost too much to bear... knowing what he'd done, and what he'd have to do, to just try to purify some of his soul, to be worthy of her love once again.

* * *

A.N: I trusted that anyone who's old enough to know about s-e-x can imagine for themselves what happened between Vincent and Lucretia... so far I've only managed to write one readable love-scene, and even that stops before the action starts.

The song that Zacky-boy is singing is of course Rammstein's Sonne, translated into English. Those Germans and their witty lyrics... The video rocks, there just isn't anything quite like Snow White spanking dwarves...

The next chapter is nearly finished, but it will take a few weeks before I'll get to post it, because of the aforementioned school trip. I could be a real meanie and say that I won't post it before I get 50 or so reviews. Naw. Just a warning, though, it's really gonna hit the fan next time... Please leave a review!


	17. Chapter Fifteen

And now, the end is near... Don't own, don't own, don't own...

* * *

**Chapter fifteen: Monster's ball**

**-**

"Yo, Seph!"

Sephiroth opened his eyes and squinted as the rays of the sun hit them. The shining orb was already far over the mountain tops. The General frowned and sat up, furious that Zackery hadn't woken him earlier. They had agreed to continue at first light. It must've been closer to noon, now.

He climbed out of the backseat of the car, where he had slept, and searched the surroundings with a quick look. He was sure he'd heard the Soldier calling for him, but the dark-haired man was nowhere to be seen.

"Zackery?"

"Over here, Seph! Come to the beach!"

Sephiroth turned towards the voice and the sea, figuring that the Soldier was there, behind a grassy ledge that hid the beach itself from his sight. He checked that Jenova was still on the front seat of the car and started towards the endless sea. He passed the small tent and peeked in quickly to see that it was empty. So Cloud must be at the beach as well. That made the General feel uncomfortable. He tried to tell himself that there was no reason to feel jealous, no reason to hate the blond, just because Zackery liked him. The Soldier was his best friend, he wouldn't abandon him, not because he liked someone else. There was no reason to be jealous... but he still couldn't help it.

"Zackery?" The General called again when he got to the edge of the small cliff. The sun shone so brightly, and even though the light came from behind him the sea mirrored it to his eyes, making it hard to see anything. Bright, moving light, the sea seemed to be on fire.

"Down here! Come on, Seph!"

Sephiroth jumped the seven feet down to the sand and, protecting his eyes from the sunshine, started to walk towards where Zackery was waving at him. The Soldier was clad only in his uniform pants, the pant legs rolled up to his knees as he stood ankle-deep in the sea, letting the sun warm his naked skin. Cloud was sitting just out of the reach of the waves, only the tips of his toes getting wet when the largest waves reached him. The boy stared at Zackery, not turning to look even when the General was almost behind him.

The Soldier walked onto the beach, a wide smile on his face, and grabbed Sephiroth's shoulders, who raised an eyebrow at that. They were good friends and Zackery had always been very open, but he didn't like being touched much, and this felt kind of odd. Especially when the dark-haired man squeezed him tightly and kissed him on the cheek.

"Z-zackery, what are you..."

"Sorry, Sephy-baby, couldn't help it! I'm just so damn happy!" Zackery threw his arms wide, his smile beaming like the sun. "Happy, happy happy!"

The General watched on, his mouth just about hanging open as the Soldier danced a little on the beach, throwing sand around. He turned to Cloud for an explanation but the boy was still staring out at the sea, his face completely hidden from sight. Suddenly Zackery grabbed his arm and twirled him around a few times until Sephiroth pulled away and staggered back a few steps. What the hell was going on?

"Aww Seph, don't just blow me off like that!" Zackery stopped and pouted for about three seconds, until his face split into another wide grin. "Come on, be happy! I am!"

"Why?" Sephiroth dared to ask, wondering how much weirder this day could get. What the hell was there to be happy about? The salty wind from the sea blew his hair around and tugged at his clothes like an excited child. He watched with growing concern and anxiety as Zackery lifted his hands to his hips and pushed them forward.

"Why? Why, because I'm in love! So I don't need you anymore! And it's all thanks to you!"

"How... how come?" The words seemed to stuck to his throat as the General felt the wind turn colder. Cloud still wouldn't look at them.

The Soldier shrugged and started to count on his fingers. "Well, first of all, you totally did blow me off. Come on, you must have known that I've always loved you. But you never answered it, man. You broke my heart. I wasn't good enough for you. Well, really, no one could be. But I didn't think I could be so easy to ignore. You never were enough of a monster to just use me and ditch me. That would have made me stop loving you, and I could have moved on. But no. So," second finger came up, "I just hang around, waiting for every little shred of emotion I could get from you. Anything. Even you saying 'good morning' to me makes me happy. But is that any way to live? Come on, man, you must have realized something. The way I always volunteer to go out to missions with you. You think it was because I wanted to reach First Class quickly?" Zax shook his head. "Nope. It was just to be with you. Getting to sleep in the same room, or tent, or maybe even share a bed... wow."

He lifted a third finger and threw a loving glance in Cloud's direction. "Three. Enter Cloud. He's always adored you, but he's not good enough for you either. Not worth your time. So you tell me to take care of him. You give me a substitute for your love. Even though you must know what he is."

Zackery was still babbling on but Sephiroth couldn't listen to it anymore, couldn't watch the violet eyes which so clearly called him a monster. Something was very, very wrong here, and the Soldier wouldn't be any help at all in figuring out what it was. Sephiroth stumbled on the sand and ran to Cloud, grabbing the boy's arm and turning him around almost violently.

"Cloud, what the--"

Words got stuck to his throat again as Sephiroth saw his own face, staring back at him.

* * *

Sephiroth opened his eyes, startled out of the sleep, and grabbed the backrests of the seats to calm himself. 'Stupid, stupid, stupid,' he chided himself. 'Just a dream. Just... a dream. Please, just a dream...' he dared to close his eyes for a few moments, and forced his heart to slow down. 'Just a dream.'

After the shaking stopped he dared to sit up slowly and stared at the mountains in the east, watched as the sky above them paled with every passing minute, moving towards the new day. He knew that he'd have to wake Zackery and Cloud soon, that they'd better be on their way long before the sun would reach the mountain peaks. There was really no rush, as far as they knew, no one would die if they didn't reach Nibelheim by tonight. But they were all driven by the need to know what was going on, what kind of schemes had Hojo weaved, and, most importantly, why. He could guess that Hojo had planned for him to meet Jenova and somehow merge with her or something, but he also wanted to know everything about his past, about the project of which he'd been the product of. Cloud wanted to know whether he was a monster or not. They both wanted to find Vincent, and Zackery, well, he obviously cared a lot for both of them, and wanted to help.

The dream hit him again, full force, making him shudder. It couldn't be true, Zackery never had given him any hints that he'd be interested in being anything more than friends. Sure, the Soldier had made it clear soon after they'd met that he 'played for both teams', like he liked to put it, but that had been the end of that conversation. Sephiroth had accepted it as a part of the dark-haired man and had thought nothing more of it. Zackery had joked about it, had made mock-passes at him, but had always laughed and made sure that he knew that it was just a joke. They did care for each other, very much, but in a way brothers loved each others. They were so much more than brothers, but they were not lovers. Never. He had never, not for a second... no, that wasn't true, he had considered it, and so had the Soldier, but after talking about it they'd decided that it wasn't worth possibly ruining their friendship. These thoughts, these doubts, they were all just his imagination. It was just a stupid, stupid dream!

But weren't dreams based on reality?

"No!" Sephiroth shouted and jumped up and out of the car in one fluid movement, just about marched to the tent and threw the flap open, almost daring the two to be doing something besides sleeping.

"Wake up!" He shouted loud enough to wake the dead. Zax just about jumped straight up, would have if he wouldn't have gotten tangled with his sleeping bag, and stared, sleepy and confused, as the General turned on his heels and returned to the car. Cloud had also woken and poked his head out from his cocoon, staring and blinking.

"Morning yet?" The blond asked, eyes wide, and Zax shrugged.

"Guess so."

* * *

"I don't want ANYONE to intervene this time!"

"If he brings the specimen with him, keep it here, and alive."

"If they bring someone else, finish them or let Malaka have them."

"All I need is Sephiroth and the specimen."

"I won't be far... my assistants will also leave the building, I don't want them to mess this."

"Luckily I have you, Vincent, to do what I want you to."

Hojo had said more, he always said more, but those were the main commands and guides he'd been given, the ones written into his spine. He would obey, but he'd also remember what Lucretia had told him.

Vincent sighed and waited.

* * *

"Nibelheim." Zax announced quietly just before hitting the breaks. The stop was so abrupt that Sephiroth, even though he had known to prepare for it, grabbed Jenova's head a bit too late and it fell down to his feet. Cloud almost fell to the floor of the car as well, and groaned as he picked himself up.

The trip had been a very quiet one, even though Zax had kept the radio on most of the time and even sang along. He was dying to know what was going on, but Sephiroth hadn't said a word, answering the Soldier's questions only with a nod or a shake of his head, killing every attempt for a conversation even before it was born. The General radiated a command for silence, and eventually Zax had fallen silent as well. Cloud hadn't dared to disobey at all.

The Soldier was worried for the both of them. He had tried, but soon realized that he couldn't possibly ever understand wholly what they had gone through, how they had to live with not knowing what they were. Sephiroth was his best friend in the whole world, one of the few people he was ready to sacrifice his life for, but with this, Zax didn't know what he could say that wouldn't possibly make things worse. He only hoped that getting the General to open up and speak would help, but getting him to open up and speak turned to be almost as hard as separating him from her. She had sat on Sephiroth's lap the whole day, staring at Zax with her strange eyes, unmoving and, hopefully, dead, but still radiating hatred towards him. What the Soldier couldn't understand was that if she was Sephiroth's mother, like he claimed, why did she hate his friends so? It seemed like she only wanted to turn them against each other.

Cloud was closed up almost as badly. Zax had tried to make the boy open up to him, make him trust his words and actions, but the blond still held himself back. The Soldier could imagine that it wasn't easy for the boy, to be a labrat one day, then free but pursued, to get your mother back only to lose her again. But Cloud was still so young, Zax couldn't bear to think that he'd just waste his life wondering what could have been or worrying that he was something he wasn't.

He had seen both Sephiroth and Cloud do scary, even horrible things, but couldn't hate them for it, not when he knew to blame Hojo for it all. The professor had screwed with Sephiroth while he had still been in the womb, and moulded the General into what he was today. The silver haired man had been over twenty before he'd started to make a life for himself, before he'd torn himself free of Hojo. Or had at least thought so. From Cloud the slimy man had stolen his life and future, turned him into something he obviously hadn't been meant to be, and deeply marred the boy's soul and identity in doing so. If the blond could ever get over what had happened, he might have a somewhat normal life. If you ignored the fact that he seemed to need human flesh and blood to survive. But they could find something else that he could eat, something that didn't involve killing people.

But all that would have to wait, now. They were here, whether they wanted to or not.

The town was as they had expected, abandoned and in ruins. Wind had blown soot all over the small town square and out through the black, ominous gate. The broken-down truck that had stood next to the gate for decades had exploded during the fire, and was now scattered all over in small pieces. They could see everything, the whole town from the gate, and saw that the only things still standing were the mansion and the well, although it was blackened and the narrow steps leading to the top had collapsed. Nothing was alive in the little town anymore, all the wild animals had left as well.

The sun had already set in the west, but the sky was still pale enough to illuminate the ruins, turning the world completely black and white. Wind howled and threw dirt around, making it hard to breathe, stinging when it got into their eyes.

"We'd better eat now, and get ready. We'll enter the mansion as soon as possible, there's no use waiting for anything." The General said, covering his mouth and nose with one hand. Zax nodded, and Cloud shrugged. The Soldier had brought him a gun and a sword from Cosmo Canyon, not knowing what he wanted to fight with. Still, the boy hoped that there would be nothing to fight. The bullet wound through his lower chest still bothered him a bit, making it hard to move quickly. But the main reason for not wanting to fight was that he feared that he'd be too afraid to even move if something attacked. The mansion held too many bad memories.

"Hold on..." Zax muttered and pressed the gas pedal down while Sephiroth and Cloud grabbed hold of the nearest thing they could reach. The Soldier sped straight into town, narrowly missing the well, and stopped in front of the remains of the small shop. "Maybe there's some food, or something else we can use."

Sephiroth, Jenova's head under his left arm, entered the shop, or what was left of it: the walls had burned down to the stone base and there was no door. Cloud stood outside, just a bit too scared to follow the General as Zax drove the car to a more secluded spot, just in case someone happened to walk into town. It wasn't likely, but stranger things had happened in the last few days.

He really didn't want to be here, Cloud thought as he slowly turned around, letting the image of his hometown in ruins burn itself to his mind. He had hated the place as a kid, no one would play with him, they only made fun of him and his mother, children and adults both. But there had been some happier times, when he'd gone up to the mountains alone, or when he and his mother had just sat at home, maybe baking something. And when she had sang lullabies and other songs to him... the thought of her almost made him cry, but the good memories were soon drowned out by the bad, more recent ones. Hojo and his assistants, running their sick experiments on him. Hurting him, breaking both his body and soul. Taking away the small haven that Vincent had brought to the hell that was his life. And now they were ruining even this. He'd actually made a friend, or that's what Zax had said. Now they were back here, facing the sick scientist once again, and they might not all make it. Cloud hated the darker side of himself so much, the thing that Hojo had turned him into, that dying would be almost a relief, but then again... what Zax had said last night, in the tent... it almost made him blush, and smile. Could someone really like him? Maybe even... love him? No matter what he was? The thought alone made him more determined to get rid of Hojo and the bad memories for good, just to see what could happen between the two of them.

But still, he really didn't want to be here.

Both Sephiroth and Zax returned almost at the same moment to Cloud, the General carrying a very crispy leg of a lamb in one hand, staring at it suspiciously.

"Gee, Seph, I think that that's a LITTLE bit overcooked..." Zax said, fighting back a grin. The General shrugged and tossed it back to the shop.

"It was the only thing still in one piece. All the potions and other supplies are gone. We'll have to get by with what we have." He muttered while shaking the dirt from his gloves.

Zax shrugged and lifted the small bag of food he had bought from Cosmo Canyon. "Potions we have, and I still got some bread and a few apples, I think. We're almost out of water, though."

"Um. I can check the well. I know how it works... it can be a bit difficult." Cloud muttered and threw a nervous glance at Sephiroth before wandering to the well. Zax watched after him for a moment before turning to the General.

"Ok, Seph. What's been eating you all day?"

Sephiroth lifted one eyebrow and gave the Soldier an unemotional, cold stare. "What makes you think something's bothering me?"

"Well, first off, you haven't said a word!" Zax started to count with his fingers, and the familiarity of the situation freaked the General as he feared what the other man would say next. "And second, you've been treating me like a fricking grunt on his first day out! Seph, it's me! Third, you kept throwing Cloud some pretty scary glares all day. I think he was just about to wet himself! Seph, is it... it's her, isn't it? She's doing something to you? Damn, Seph, don't listen to her, man! You know that she's with Hojo!"

"She's my mother." Repeating his name so much, Zackery had managed to calm him down a bit, to make him feel more like himself. But mentioning her had turned the General to ice. She was too deep in him, holding on too tight. Her feelings were now his. Sephiroth realized it, but he also knew that there was no way to fight her anymore. There hadn't been anything he could have done differently since the first time he saw her name, written in large letters above the door in the reactor. It was his destiny. And it was all so clear now. He could see his future in front of him now like a wide, straight road. Open and just waiting for him to step on it.

Sephiroth realized something else, then, as well. He would go to the mansion with Zackery and Cloud, he would find Valentine, get them out, do what he'd promised, but he knew that nothing the Turk could say would change his mind anymore. Nothing mattered; until he'd step on that road, everything would be meaningless. He'd still end up upon it, and go wherever it took him. And everything that came after that first step was already set. He was nothing but a puppet, destined to play his part. He was born to do it, it was what he'd been created to be. All the experiments, Hojo, Lucretia, Vincent and Jenova, the Mako, everything, just to make him what he was today. It was all her doing, he was but a vessel to her revenge. Just a puppet.

His voice was a flat monotone, he hardly even comprehended the words as they came from his mouth. "I am fine, Zackery. Just tired. Let's get this over with." When he heard his own voice, quiet and strained, speaking those words, he understood the truth in them. He was so very tired of it all. Running around, fighting, thinking about the next step, making plans to keep everyone safe. Someone else would have to worry about all that now, it wasn't his problem anymore.

Cloud wobbled to them with two buckets full of water just as Sephiroth turned and started to walk towards the mansion. Zax stared at his back, frustrated, fear clutching his heart. The General was acting so strange, he had just zoned out on him, hadn't answered, just stared into space.

"No way... no way, you bitch... you won't have him..."

"Uh, Zax?" Cloud had lowered the heavy buckets to the ground and was staring up at him, nervous and afraid. "What's wrong?"

"She's got him. But it can't be too late, there must be something..." The Soldier lifted a hand to his eyes for a second, then reached out suddenly and pulled Cloud to his chest, just holding the boy, tight. "Damn it, I care so much for you both... if something happens to either of you..." he grabbed the blond ponytail and gently tilted the boy's head back, leaning over and pressing his mouth to Cloud's, caressing the thin lips with his. Blue eyes went wide but closed soon as the boy leaned into the kiss. Soft, gentle, promising such sweet things, love and peace and an end to all this madness.

"Don't you leave me, Cloudy..." Zax whispered into the warm mouth before stepping away reluctantly. Cloud opened his eyes after a moment and smiled lightly before they started to fill their water bottles.

Sephiroth watched them from the gates of the mansion, feeling his heart grow colder. He was so tired of it all, he hoped it would be over soon. They'd go into the mansion, find Vincent, possibly Hojo... the thought occurred to him that the professor wouldn't let them leave, not without a fight. They'd have to kill him, then. Hojo had all the answers, but deep inside, a voice said that it didn't matter anymore. Hojo didn't matter anymore. He was also just a pawn in a bigger game.

The General stood by the gates and watched as Zackery and Cloud filled the water bottles. Would they really need them? They weren't going to spend more than a few hours in the mansion. Maybe it was some sort of an insurance. If they went in empty handed, they had resigned to the fact that they might not come back? 'We can't die, we have water to drink?' Well, he had heard worse reasons, Sephiroth thought as the two started to walk towards him. He turned and pushed the gate open, securing Jenova's head under his left arm. Maybe he should leave her outside, maybe it would be safer there. It would be easier if he'd get into a fight, not having to carry her along. Maybe it didn't matter.

The hinges of the large door complained as Zax opened it. Sephiroth was standing in front of the opening, Masamune in hand. Cloud was just behind him and a bit to the left, holding the gun Zax had brought. The sword was strapped to his back. The Soldier also had a gun, just in case.

They were prepared for just about anything, but were greeted with nothing. Nothing attacked them, nothing was moving inside the huge building as far as they could see, and they heard nothing. Sephiroth and Cloud lowered their weapons, and the General motioned the others close.

"We go in, find Valentine and leave. Kill anything that moves."

"What if it's Hojo?" Zax asked, grabbing the hilt of his Buster-sword.

"Especially if it's Hojo."

"Yes, sir!"

Even though the house seemed empty, they were very careful as they stepped in. They kept their weapons at hand, knowing that the whole building was full of monsters.

"If I see even one dorky face, I will scream. Just thought I'd warn ya." Zax muttered, throwing the others a wide grin. Cloud smiled back but grew serious again after glancing quickly in Sephiroth's direction. The General seemed to ignore them both, listening to the silence of the house. The floorboards creaked beneath them and the wind was howling behind closed doors. With all the cobwebs and remains of dead monsters, the lightless, large mansion was a perfect picture of a classic haunted house. Even if the ghosts were only in their minds.

Jenova was showing him everything he'd forgotten from his childhood. How he'd sneaked around the house, new back then, peeking into rooms and wondering why no one besides him and the scientist lived in a house so large, and if they were really so alone, why wasn't he allowed to have a room upstairs, where he could at least look out of the window, spy on the kids who played outside. The fights of the Shin-Ra guards, sent to keep an eye on the house, and how they played poker all night long. The laughter from outside, the sound of rain and thunder, the white, white snow everywhere during the winters.

He had been glad not remembering it all, not recalling how lonely it had made him feel.

Zax, ever true to his words, screamed at that moment. Sephiroth sighed and sliced the floating monster in half with one slash of his sword.

"...thanks..." the Soldier muttered, kicking at the still grinning remains. "So. Do we go straight up, and to the basement?"

"Yes. There's nothing else but ghosts in this place." Sephiroth answered and started up the stairs. Zax motioned for Cloud to go next, and followed the blond, keeping an eye on their backs. It would have been wiser to look ahead.

They got up to the second floor without meeting any more monsters, and were already in the hallway to the room with the hidden door when they heard it. Zax, still in the back, turned around and swore when he saw the thing coming at them from across the balcony. Sephiroth returned immediately to the opening, stood still for a second and motioned for Cloud to stay out of the fight.

"We can handle it. Check the room." The General ordered the blond while Zax screamed curses and demanded to know what the hell the thing was. Sephiroth lowered Jenova's head to the floor and joined the Soldier while he was emptying his gun into the monster, the bullets doing nothing to stop it. As a last resort, the dark-haired man threw the gun at the thing, but it only bounced off, the creature not even noticing it

"Oh crap it's ug-ly!" Zax yelped just before the monster crashed straight into them, not minding that the Masamune pierced its right side and the Buster sword impaled the left lung. It was over seven feet tall, looking like it was just pumped-up muscle, tentacles and claws. All in a delightful, greenish-gray hue. The Soldier gagged when they smelled it, rot and decay. Their swords were covered in dirty Mako when they stepped back and pulled them out, almost in unison, doing the dance of death perfectly. "Any idea what it is?"

"Well," Sephiroth said, slashing an arm off, "judging by the face, I'd guess it was once human. Emphasis on WAS, it smells like it's been dead for a few days already." The arm fell to the floor but didn't stay there. It started to wiggle its way towards Sephiroth's boot, until the General kicked it all the way down from the balcony.

"That would explain why it won't die!" Zax screamed and cut the other arm off before daring a look behind him, to check on Cloud. The monster took its chance and slapped his head with a cold, wet tentacle. The Soldier was thrown off balance and disoriented for a moment, but falling on his knees only put him in better level with the creature's.

"Jump!" Zax warned his General and slashed the Buster in a wide arch, just below the creature's knees, the blade going through the flesh like a hot knife through butter. Sephiroth didn't even look, just jumped on the right second to save his legs from harm. His knee hit the monster in the chin, throwing it backwards and off its feet, while the Masamune also traveled up, opening the bloated stomach. Zax got quickly back on his feet and jumped away from under the Mako and entrails that poured out of the gaping wound. The stench was enough to make him gag.

Sephiroth landed on the stomach and guided Masamune through the monster's throat, cutting the head clean off. It rolled away, and the General stopped to watch, curious, as bits of it just fell off, like they'd been glued on with bubble gum. Green, rotten Mako flesh fell off, revealing a half-melted head of a human. He didn't notice that the body still lived, the bowels wrapping themselves around his ankles and up his boots.

Zax quickly wiped away every trace of the monster that had landed on him as they started to burn his skin. When he looked up his eyes went wide and he gagged again. "Ugh, Seph... look down."

Sephiroth did, and shuddered. The body, armless and legless, wasn't able to fight them anymore, but it still tried to. It still lived.

"...we'll just have to... chop it up."

"Joy."

* * *

Cloud had pulled out his sword when he'd heard the approaching monster, but had been relieved when Sephiroth had told him to stay back. His hands were shaking as he walked quickly to the door, anxious to get to safety. He felt like a coward, but kept telling himself that checking the room was as important as killing the monster. And it wasn't certain that there wasn't a monster there, waiting for him.

The door was unlocked, and Cloud checked the room quickly before closing it again behind him. It was dark, the stars borrowed only a little of their light into the room. The door to the basement was open.

Breathing deep with relief to see the room empty, the blond turned to the door and pressed his ear against it, hearing Zax's voice. He closed his eyes and smiled a little, wondering what would happen when they got out of Nibelheim again. First they'd have to get rid of her, Jenova. She had a strong hold on Sephiroth, Zax had said so. Then, when she was gone from the General, and hopefully from him as well, maybe they'd get to relax then. After Hojo was dead and Vincent was free, and she was no longer present, making monsters out of all of them.

Cloud opened his eyes when he felt someone standing behind him, and turned around, sword raised. His eyes grew wide with relief and he relaxed immediately when he recognized the ex-Turk.

"Vincent! We've been looking for you!" He smiled and took a step closer to the man, hoping that this meant that they could get out of here, and fast! Maybe they wouldn't even have to confront Hojo now.

"Cloud." The broody man nodded a hello, and averted his eyes.

"Is something wrong?" Cloud asked, puzzled at the strangeness he felt in the other man. He took a closer look, and gasped when he saw what had been done to Vincent. "Oh, no... your arm... did Hojo..."

"Do not pity me. Please. I'm sorry." Vincent interrupted him, still staring at the floor. Cloud stepped closer, not understanding what was wrong.

"For what?"

"Hojo told me to take care of you, make sure that he got you back. And you know that I have to obey him. But this time, I won't."

Cloud was fast, but he never had time to react, as Vincent was faster. The ex-Turk lifted his human arm, the barrel of his gun going straight and unerringly to the boy's temple. The blond barely registered the move.

And then the gun went off.

* * *

"Did you hear that?" Zax asked, out of breath after chopping the creature into pieces and kicking them all over the place, so that it would at least take a while before it could gather itself again. The General cocked his head and nodded, still staring at the squirming bits at their feet. When would they stop moving? The feeling of her was strong in them, he'd felt her from the beginning of the battle. Maybe she'd keep the pieces alive for days, maybe even longer. From the look of it, the monster had been nothing but a human, covered with her.

"Yes. It came from... from where I sent Cloud."

They both took off running, praying that the target of the gunshot was Hojo, and that whoever pulled the trigger didn't miss. Sephiroth slowed to pick up Jenova before they stopped at the door, a thin trail of blood making its way from underneath it. They looked at each other and, swords in hand, Sephiroth nodded to Zax, and the Soldier kicked the door in.

"It wasn't locked."

Zax stopped just before his Buster-sword cut Vincent in half. His relief at finding the man was short-lived as he looked down and saw the bleeding corpse at their feet.

Sky-blue eyes stared up at him, wide open but unseeing. The look on Cloud's face was as surprised as Tseng's had been. The bullet had gone straight through the boy's head, ending his life immediately. Still, his pale face was unspoilt, save for a small trickle of blood coming from his nose.

"N-no..." Zax whispered. The sword fell from his hand, and the Soldier followed it, dropping to his knees. "No, no no..." he gathered the thin body to his arms and clutched it to his chest, weeping over his newly-found and now lost love. "...no... no, who... who did this?!" He should still have potions on him... the Soldier's hand instantly moved to search for them, but returned to hold the cooling body gently. It was too late, the wound was too severe. There was nothing he could do but cry.

"I killed him." Vincent said flatly, drawing both Sephiroth's and Zax's attention to himself. "I had to."

"WHAT?!" Zax shouted, enraged. "How could you?!" He lowered the body carefully back to the floor and closed the blue eyes before turning to stare at the ex-Turk, unable to believe what he'd just heard.

Sephiroth shook his head and covered his eyes with a hand. He was so tired... he didn't understand anything anymore. Why would Vincent kill someone he'd fought so hard to free from Hojo's clutches?

"I told you, I had to. I am sorry, but it was quick. He didn't have time to feel a thing."

"NO! You didn't have to!" The Soldier jumped up and lifted his fists. "You had no reason to!"

Vincent's gun came up, finger on the trigger. Sephiroth felt like everything turned to slow motion, he could clearly see the muscles in the man's arm move as he started to pull the trigger. Zax was unarmed and there was no way he could dodge the bullet, not after a marksman like Valentine had caught him. They'd all heard the stories about the Turk and his skill with guns. Zax had no hope.

Masamune moved faster than his thoughts, turned in his hands and rose up, catching Vincent's arm as it still rose, biting through the flesh and muscle, stopping at the bone, guiding the arm and the gun higher and higher, but the pain made the muscles convulse and the gun went off, bullet flying...

...and missing Zax's head by an inch. The Soldier had closed his eyes when he had realized his doom, but opened them immediately and punched the ex-Turk in the face. Combined with Masamune's guiding momentum, Vincent lost his balance and his gun and fell on his back.

Vincent didn't bother to try and stop the blood flowing from his nose and arm. Perhaps he could finally die now. Return to Lucretia. She'd be happy, he had protected their son. An angry nudge of a boot brought him back to reality, and he opened his eyes to stare into Zax's.

"Why? Why the hell did you kill him?! I thought you were his friend!"

Vincent stared deep into the violet orbs, his voice and expression unemotional and cold, matching Sephiroth's exactly. "He was a monster. Hojo changed him. He wasn't a real human being anymore."

"You're wrong!" Zax interrupted the monotone words and stomped around, unable to vent his rage and sorrow in any other way. "Cloud was as human as you, Sephy or me! You killed him!"

Vincent frowned and turned to look at the body. Could he have been wrong... no. He couldn't have made such a mistake. He had to be right. Zax crouched and shook him roughly out of his thoughts.

"No. You are mistaken. She told me--"

"She?! SHE?! Don't tell me you listen to that bitch as well?!"

Vincent's eyes narrowed into small, glowing slits and he raised his head, enraged. "How dare you speak of her like that?!"

"Oh FUCK!" Zax screamed and jumped up, walking in circles like a caged lion. "Fuck, fuck, FUCK! This isn't happening! How can you both listen to a dead thing that's nothing more than a head anyway?!" He stared in turn at the both of them but didn't get an answer. Sephiroth wouldn't even face him, just stared at nothing with a strange expression on his face while Vincent lowered his head to the floor, realizing that the Soldier wasn't talking about Lucretia.

Zax shook his head, feeling unable to even get through to the two and rubbed his eyes, hard. "All right, this has gone far enough. We'll--" he started towards Sephiroth but was cut off by a sudden gunshot. It surprised them completely, as Zax and Vincent were completely unarmed and Sephiroth was carrying a sword.

"What..." the Soldier muttered, eyes wide, and turned to stare at the blood that stained the front of his shirt. The others watched in shock as the Soldier stumbled a few steps and fell to his knees, still trying to understand what the hell had happened.

Vincent let out a dry laugh as Zax lowered himself slowly to the floor, strength escaping his body. It took a little more than one bullet to kill a Soldier, but he still had to lie down. Just for a second... the bullet had hit him in the middle of his back and gone straight through, probably piercing a lung or some other organ. The pain was only starting to hit him now, and the realization that there was nothing he could do anymore. He might heal, if he wasn't hurt any more, but not fast enough to stop what was happening.

"I said I don't want anyone to intervene." Hojo said and stepped into the room. Sephiroth didn't even look up, just watched as the puddle of blood grew around Zax. The Soldier was still breathing, probably conscious as well, but the General didn't make a move to help him. He had no will of his own left, no energy, no reason to do anything.

Hojo didn't pay any attention to Zax or Vincent when he saw Cloud. "My precious specimen!" The professor jumped over the Soldier and kneeled beside the corpse, checking for a pulse and swearing when finding none. "Damn it! Valentine, who did this? I said I want the specimen alive!"

Vincent had no choice but answer. "Lucretia told me to kill both him and the Soldier. They were a threat to Sephiroth." That made both Hojo and Sephiroth stare at him, their eyes wide and unbelieving.

"What?!" Hojo screeched and shook his head, almost laughing. Sephiroth also shook his head, in sorrow at finding out that all of his parents were monsters. What else could he be, then?

The professor was still giggling as he stood up and dusted off his trousers. "Fine, Valentine, whatever you want to believe." He moved to check on Zax, leaving his back open to the Masamune, but Sephiroth didn't even lift the blade, hardly noticed anymore what was happening in the room.

Vincent frowned and closed his eyes as he could hear laughter in his head. Laughter, and words.

/You did well, my puppet. Now they will certainly not intervene with what the fates have in store for 'our' son... your sweet Lucretia would cry so if she knew what you just did in her name.../

That was the last straw. He realized he'd been betrayed, in so many ways he couldn't even begin to comprehend them all. Most of all, he had let them do it, had lied to himself, forced himself to believe their lies just because it was easier than living with the truth that he was so alone. They had driven him to kill Cloud and attempt to kill Zax as well, while he should have strived to get rid of Hojo. It was all too much, and Vincent let his mind flow away.

Hojo was poking both Zax and Cloud and muttering to himself, too thrilled to notice how Vincent's limbs twitched and grew and a pair of wings started to grow out of his back. The ex-Turk didn't let out a sound, didn't fight back as his body transformed to that of Chaos, didn't mind when his consciousness was pushed aside and ignored completely.

When the transformation was complete, Chaos stood up, flexing his wings in a room that was barely big enough for him. Hojo did look up now, as did Sephiroth, when the demon let out a loud roar that was half laughter. The professor was too thrilled to be afraid, staring at the monster he'd created years ago. This was the first time he saw it himself, in its full glory, no humanity, no feelings, just pure rage and power. If it only could be handled and commanded, it would make such a good pet. But Chaos lifted its clawed arms to the throat and struggled with the slave collar until metal yielded and broke. The demon lifted the collar high and let it drop unceremoniously to the floor.

"Know, humans, that I would kill you immediately, if I didn't know that you shall sow as much chaos as I will, and it pleases me to watch it." With that, Chaos used its powers to blow away the wall that blocked its way to the outside, walked to the edge and took flight.

Hojo laughed long and hard before wiping his eyes and picking up his PHS. The General didn't object, didn't even move when a few of Hojo's assistants came into the room, picked up Zax and Cloud and carried them through the secret door, towards the basement. There was nothing he could do for them anyway. They were lost. All of them. So lost. It was over. He turned away from it all, and carrying the severed head, wandered out of the room, past the still twitching corpse, down the stairs and out, to Nibelheim. This was where he had been born, wasn't it only fitting that this was where his life came to such a tragic ending?

Sephiroth looked at his bloodstained hands, feeling his life and sanity slowly slipping away from their reach. He had already stepped on the road, there was no turning back. The choices he would make from now on were all already decided by someone else. The great General would just obey. He started to sob as the true cruelty of the reality unfolded in his mind, and tears burned in his eyes.

/It's all right, my son. Cry. Cry and accept the pain, your inheritance. Let it build your rage towards all who hurt you. Let it grow and feed you. And when you've accepted this, I'll show you the path of revenge.../

Sephiroth cried, still staring at his hands, but eventually the tears turned into laughter.

* * *

A.N: There. I'm done.

This was mostly made up while writing it, no big plot in the beginning. It was actually supposed to be a chapter or two, but then it grew and grew... and when I started this, I wanted to kick Hojo's ass SO bad, but somehow it all got twisted and... well if you read it this far, you'll know how it ended up!

This is the end. At least of part one. But a sequel of sorts is trying to crawl its way out of my head... I've still to kick Hojo's ass, so maybe.

Thank you for reading my story, hope you liked it, and a very big thank you to all who reviewed it!


	18. Interlude

...like a wound in the mouth that would heal if you'd just stop poking at it with your tongue. But I can't stop.

Disclaimer: The characters and places and other things and the whole Final Fantasy 7 belong to Square. I have merely twisted the plot a bit, and made up some original characters. There.

**Recap:** Sephiroth is missing, Vincent killed Cloud and took off as Chaos, Zax was wounded and taken to Hojo's lab and Jenova is plotting something. Hojo is being a meanie. Bad Hojo.

This bit kicks off around the time the game starts. And there will be quite a few spoilers. Be warned.

* * *

**Blood of the Innocents**

**Interlude.**

-

Over four years locked inside a tube had weakened his body some, even though he was a Soldier. Still, he'd ran all the way, away from the laboratory, up the stairs, through the mansion and out the door. With a limp body over his shoulder. After killing a man. He was quite proud of himself, all that after years of almost no exercises at all. But then shock overrode the pride.

It was a late evening, almost night already, and it was raining hard. The kind of cold rain that soaked you through to the bone, making you wet, cold and miserable. The rain soaked all of Nibelheim, the small houses huddled together for warmth around the small town square. Warm, yellow light streamed through the windows, illuminating patches of the ground. A flower bench in front of one house, a colourful ball forgotten in a puddle of water, a lonely cat sitting on a stair, out of the rain, asking to be let in.

Zax stumbled down the stairs to the front yard, staring at the town. This was impossible, he'd seen the place in ruins with his own eyes, but now it was back to how he remembered it from his first visit. Exactly the same, as far as he could remember. But who would build it the same? What was going on?

He wanted to go to a house and ask the dwellers what had happened, but the cold rain brought him back to reality, and the Soldier took off running. The limp form on his shoulder moved with his steps but didn't even twitch as a complaint for the weather or the rough ride. This wasn't the time for comfort or answers, they'd have to get as far from here as possible, and as fast as possible.

He ran through the whole night, straight to the south, towards Cosmo Canyon. Rocket Town would have been a bit closer, but with the dead weight over his shoulder and only the Buster sword to protect them with, Zax didn't feel like crossing the mountains and battling the persistent monsters. The grasslands were as full of monsters as the mountains, but they were softer as food was plentiful there.

The rain had stopped only an hour ago and dawn was almost breaking when the Soldier finally decided to stop for rest, in a small cave near the mountain range that separated them from the Gold Saucer area. The feet of the mountains were full of small caves like this, and easy enough to climb, but no more than a hundred feet up, the mountains were uncrossable.

Zax lowered the body from his shoulder to the ground and sat down next to it with a long, exhausted sigh. He threw his wet hair away from his pale face and just stared out the mouth of the cave, waiting for his heart to slow down.

They were out. Now what?

Zax closed his violet eyes, feeling the sting of tears underneath the eyelids. He was so tired, so cold, and wet to the bone. It felt like he'd never be warm again. Or happy. Or secure. Or safe. All of that, Hojo and the last few years had taken from him. His spirit, his happiness, his friends, his love. All gone. All he had left was his trusted sword and the limp body beside him.

The blue eyes were open again but didn't appear to see anything, ignoring the world around them, the cold, the rain, the pain. The body was nothing but a shell, the soul nothing but dreams and memories forced into it. But still, Zax couldn't leave it behind. He hadn't had the strength of mind to destroy it, either, even though he'd known it might have been the best thing to do. But he couldn't, not even now, even though he knew that he'd have no problems disappearing by himself, hell, he could even get to Midgar easily if he wanted to.

With a sigh, he laid down on the cold ground and wrapped his arms around the thin puppet, drawing it to his chest and buried his face to the soft, blond spikes.

"Don't worry, Cloud... I'll think of something..."

* * *

A.N: You didn't really think I could do this without my favourites?


	19. Part 2, Ch One

Don't own a thing, only the twisted plot comes from my twisted mind...

Thank you so very much for the reviews, they really make me try harder when writing!

**WARNING!! SPOILERS!!** The plot follows the game pretty much, at least in the beginning, but I'm not gonna write it all. Anyone who reads this has probably played the game already... and if you haven't... shame on you!

Also, contains swearing.

* * *

**Blood of the Innocents, part II**

**Chapter one: The trouble with Shin-Ra.**

**-**

"All right, ladies, line up in front of the Don!"

Aeris tried not to let her nervousness show as she stood in the Don's office with the two other girls. The room was large and richly decorated, full of expensive carpets, statues and plants. Two small fires burned behind them, and in front of the three girls was a huge, wooden table. Behind it sat the Don, eyeing them with interest and obvious lust. His two workers stood behind him, grinning and staring at the girls.

At least Tifa was there, by her side. Her presence was always an encouraging effect, on all of them. Aeris wasn't that much older than Tifa, but the green eyed girl was wise beyond her years, and could converse with the spirits of the land. Tifa, on the other hand, was full of energy, and ready to throw herself into any danger.

They didn't know the third girl, but Aeris was confident that the Don would choose either her or Tifa over this prissy, giggly and fluffy thing that blushed between them. All the girls he got must be like that, the two members of Avalanche were a fresh change. Even though they were dressed in clothes just as exposing. She was wearing a low-cut, bright red silky dress while Tifa was dressed up in a blue top and miniskirt.

Suddenly the blonde, plump Don jumped onto the table, smiling so that his molars showed. "Mmmm mmm! Good, splendid!" The man jumped down, in front of the three girls, and walked around a bit, checking them. "Now let's see, which one should I choose? Hmm?"

He stopped in front of the giggly thing who posed for him provocatively. "This one?" The Don smiled at her but moved soon to Tifa. "Or this one?" From the corner of her eyes Aeris saw her smile. One of them had to be chosen, so that they could find out why the Don had sent his man to find the Avalanche. But she still hoped that he wouldn't choose her. The man was greasy, annoying and disgustingly dominative towards the women. The flower girl sucked in a deep breath and smiled when the man walked over to check her out.

To think that just a few years ago she had been living happily with her parents, far in Icicle Inn. Then one day, when she had gone to visit the city of the Ancients, her mother's race, they had come. Shin-Ra's men, the townsfolk had said when she had returned to her empty, burglared home. Her childhood memories were torn to shreds, photos and videotapes stolen, her father's books and notes gone... all that she could have lived with, but they had taken her parents as well! Her way, the way of her mother and her people had always been one of peace, but it had been pure rage that had burned in her when she had left her hometown for Midgar.

Once there, it hadn't taken her long to figure out that her parents had probably been taken to the Shin-Ra headquarters, but getting in there herself was another thing. She had ended up in the slums, living in an abandoned church, the only place in the whole town where she could find any kind of connection with the earth and spirits. Sometimes she even heard her mother, but the whisperings were quiet and broken, like she was muffled or far away. She kept telling her to get out, as far from here as possible, as it wasn't safe. But Aeris couldn't leave them. She stayed in the church, grew flowers there and sold them in the slums, to get gil to buy food. Somehow she managed to survive. One day she'd met the Avalanche. And now she was here, ogled by an annoying little man.

"Woo hoo, I've made up my mind!" The Don suddenly exclaimed. Aeris kept smiling, even though the man's eyes were still on her. "My choice for tonight is... THIS sweet-looking girl!"

The frilly girl beside her was clearly disappointed when the Don pointed at Aeris. The flower girl kept her smile up and blushed at the look the blond gave her. 'Don'ttouchmedon'ttouchmedon'ttouchmeplease...'

"Ooh I love shy chicks! Yeowza! You can have the other ones!" The Don told his workers, not giving the girls another look, and eagerly motioned for Aeris to follow him to his bedroom. "Well then, shall we go my pretty?"

Aeris nodded, still smiling, and threw Tifa a quick look. The fighter nodded, ever so slightly, and smiled at the man called Kotch who was already guiding her out of the room. 'Oh Tifa, please hurry...' she thought as she followed the Don.

If the office was richly decorated, the bedroom was even worse. Expensive tapestries with very educative images hung on the walls, huge lanterns lighted the whole room, a mirror ball hung from the ceiling for goodness' sakes, soft carpets covered the floor, and in the middle of it all stood The Bed. Impressive enough to deserve capital letters, it was covered with satin pillows and covers, and the colourfully dressed Don lounged on top like a cherry on an ice-cream plate. His chubby face was red with excitement and exhaustion. 'It must have taken a lot out of him to just climb on the bed...' she thought.

Aeris stood in the corner, pretending to be shy. They had agreed that if either one got in with the Don, the other would come and help interrogate the man. She'd have to distract him until Tifa got rid of the other two men. And definitely NOT the way the Don wished to be distracted!

"We're finally alone... all right, sweetness, come to daddy!" The man had had enough to breathe and was now on the bed on all fours, staring at her and wiggling his body in a way that was probably supposed to be alluring. Aeris swallowed, smiled and took a few steps closer.

"You're so cute, I never get tired of looking at you! Do you... like me too?" The Don said, licking his lips.

Aeris wondered if she could take out the man by herself. "Umm..."

"You don't like me?!" The man was taken back and appeared hurt by her less than enthusiastic answer. "There... there isn't someone else, is there?"

"Yes, his name is Barret." Aeris said the first thing that came to her mind. Barret was the leader of the Avalanche, a small resistance group that stood against Shin-Ra and all that the company stood for. He was a fierce man from North Corel with a gun where his right arm and hand had once been.

"No way!" The Don's face fell at the answer, but them he seemed to realize something. Aeris hoped she hadn't made a mistake. "Barret? That sounds familiar..."

She was still wondering whether she should tell him the truth when the Don's face brightened at the realization. "Oh yeah, yeah... one of the people I was finding out about... Apocalypse."

"Avalanche." Aeris corrected but wasn't sure if the man heard her.

"In sector seven, in the slums... but how do YOU know that?" His head came up now, and this time there wasn't lust in his eyes anymore. Aeris took a step away but straightened her back. She had dealt with worse in the slums. Standing up to this travesty of a man was nothing.

"Because I am one of them." She said with a quiet, steady voice. The Don sat up quickly, glared at her, this time checking her for weapons, and started to scream for his guards. The flower girl took another step back and quickly scanned the room for any kind of weapon as the door opened. But in stead of the guards...

"Unfortunately, no one will come to your help." Tifa said as she stepped in, once again in her usual clothes in stead of the blue, silky skirt, top and high heels.

The Don backed away to the head of his bed, looking from one woman to the other. "What is this?!"

Tifa strode to the bed, and Aeris came to stand beside her. "Shut up, we're asking the questions now!" The fighter snarled and pointed at the man with her fighting-glove -covered hand. "What did your assistants find out? Talk! If you don't tell us..."

Aeris lifted her foot on the bed and leaned towards the man, smiling as he sweated. "...I'll rip them off." That obviously hit the man where it hurt, as he shuddered and paled a few shades.

"No! Not that, I'll tell you everything!"

"So talk." Tifa ordered and winked at Aeris.

The Don wiped sweat from his forehead and licked his lips. "I made them find out where the man with the gun arm was. But that's what I was ordered to do."

"By who?" Tifa urged the man on.

"No!" He shook his head, determined not to say another word. "If I told you that, I'd be killed!"

"Talk! If you don't tell us...I'll smash them!"

The Don swallowed and looked at the girl's steel-studded gloves and steel covered boots, not suspecting for a second that she was just trying to scare him. "Fine, fine, it was Heidegger of Shin-Ra! The head of public safety maintenance!"

"Heidegger? Shin-Ra?! What are they up to? Talk! If you don't tell us..." now she threw an especially wicked look to Aeris, "...we'll chop them off and play ping-pong."

Aeris had to fight back the laughter as the man started to babble again.

"Hooo you're serious, aren't you? Oh boy, oh boy... I'm not fooling around here either, you know... Shin-Ra's trying to crush the Acoustics, and want to infiltrate their hideout. And they're really going to crush them... literally! By breaking the support holding up the plate above them!"

"Break the support?!" Tifa and Aeris both stood back and looked at each other in horror. This couldn't be real! Even the Shin-Ra wouldn't kill thousands of people just to stop their small group.

The Don smirked, seeing their confusion. "You know what's going to happen, right? The plate'll go PING, and everything's gonna go BAMMM! I'm just glad their hideout's in sector seven and not here in sector six."

"They're really going to wipe out the sector seven slums? We have to go there now!" Tifa said. Aeris nodded, and they started towards the door. But the Don stopped them with a shout.

"Just a second!"

The fighter whirled around angrily. "Shut up!"

"No wait! It'll only take a second. How do you think scum like me feel when they babble on about the truth?"

"They've pretty much given up on life?" Tifa suggested, both of them anxious to get back to the slums.

"Buzzzz!" The Don screamed happily, pretending to press a button. "Wrong!"

Before neither could move, he jumped to the other side of the bed and pulled a lever that had been hidden behind curtains. The floor dropped away from underneath them, and Aeris and Tifa fell into darkness.

* * *

He sat on a high ledge overlooking a glowing pool of the Lifestream. It illuminated the whole large cave with green, the light coming from below, drawing out sharp edges of the cliffs and boulders. The pool was slowly eating into the solid rock, melting it, moulding it into softer shapes. He threw a rock into it, watching the lazy ripples it made. Watching the glowing green had amused him. Five years ago. Now it was getting on his nerves, the calmness, the slow but steady progress it made.

/Slow and steady, son. That is how we must proceed./

Those were her words, spoken into his mind almost five years ago, when the injustice and cruelty of the world had still burned brightly in his head, controlling his every action. He had obeyed, and let time move on whilst they planned the destruction of those who were responsible for the Cetra's deaths.

But five years was a long time to spend in a cold crater, with no one else except the voice in your head. He had always preferred solitude to great masses of people, but this kind of isolation felt like a punishment.

She had spent two millennia trapped in the arms of the planet itself, she had learned to be patient. She could wait for a few more centuries if it meant that she could get her revenge. He was patient, also, but he had been brought up by humans who only lived for some decades. It was hard for him to see things exactly as she saw them, to plot on the same timescale. Hojo had told him that he would life longer than simple humans, a lot longer, but he was still so young, a soldier, ready to die the next minute, used to quick decisions. How could he suddenly learn to think things in centuries?

And the basic plan was so simple, he couldn't imagine why they couldn't just go out now and fulfill it.

Get the Black materia and summon Meteor with it.

She couldn't go and get the Black materia, for obvious reasons. It was kept safe in a faraway island, in a place called the Temple of the Ancients. He couldn't get it either, not when the reason for getting it was so clearly for the bad of human kind. The Cetra had without a doubt guarded it against the likes of him. Therefore they needed someone to get it for them. She had told Hojo to take care of it. Sephiroth hadn't trusted the scientist, but had to admit that the mad man knew what he was doing. The professor had created the perfect puppet for them to carry out what they couldn't do.

Crash the Meteor into the planet.

This was simple. Just summon the Meteor, sit back and enjoy the armageddon.

Attain godhood.

Sephiroth wasn't quite sure how this was achieved, Jenova had kept quiet about it thus far. But all in all, it was a simple plan. There wasn't really that much to do. Just sit and wait for things to move on. Sit. And wait.

Simply put, Sephiroth was bored out of his mind.

She had taught him so much during the first two years, how to control his innate powers, how to become more powerful, both in body and spirit. He had learned to cast simple spells without materia. He had learned spells that usually needed much more experience than what he had. He had learned to fly.

But what was all that if he had no one to share it with? He had no one to talk to, to spar with, or just BE with. He could only watch those who he had once thought as friends and other people he had known. He would agonize for hours whether to spy on their lives or not, miss seeing them and wonder what was happening in the world outside, but when he'd eventually take a peek at them, he was soon filled with hatred as he watched the traitors.

With a sigh he stood up and teleported himself to the large cave he thought of as his 'home'. It was where he slept, when he slept. He didn't really eat anymore, she kept him alive. She and the power of the Lifestream, so near to them.

It was where she sat, on a high pedestal, watching with her dead eyes.

Sephiroth walked past her, to an alcove where he could be alone, where he could watch the world in peace. He was never really alone, she could talk to him any time she wanted, but she had learned that when he was there, he wouldn't answer. So she left him alone.

He called out the power in him and the pearly wall in front wavered and started to swirl with colours. He sat down on a cold pedestal and wondered who he would spy on today. A small smile crept upon his lips when he thought of a victim.

Hojo had drawn their attention to her, not even realizing it himself. He had kidnapped her parents and now she was trying to find them, and him. She was an Ancient, she and her mother were the last ones alive. Not counting him, of course. Sephiroth liked to watch her as she had struggled her way to Midgar and into some sort of a rebel group. They had actually piqued his interest when they started to blow up the reactors in Shin-Ra's fabulous city. He wondered if they were going to destroy another one, and was slightly disappointed to see that she wasn't in a reactor.

Concentrating a little, he could recognize the girl's friends, the young fighter woman and a tall, muscled man with a gun as his arm. He had been surprised to see that captain Highwind and her woman Shera were a part of this group as well. He was with them now as the four of them were running in a stairwell which looked very familiar to him. Sephiroth frowned and his eyes grew wide when he recognized the Shin-Ra Headquarters. He had almost forgotten the place, and all the bad memories that came with it. But why, why were they in there? What was going on? What had he missed?

He watched with amusement as they reached the highest public floor and how they struggled their way to the higher ones, even with the help of the puppet mayor. He leaned forward when they found the duct leading from the men's room to the conference room. Zackery had spied the suits many times... but he pushed the Soldier out of his mind with a quick flash of anger and watched closely when he saw familiar faces.

Reeve was explaining something, but a few words from the president cut him off and silenced perhaps the only man who really had only the good of the Midgarians in mind. Palmer went into one of his hyperactive spells but the president silenced him as well. Sephiroth wondered what they were talking about and regretted that he couldn't hear anything. He wasn't powerful enough for that. Sometimes he could hear the Ancient say a word or two, but never when he wanted to.

Reeve was talking again, trying to make a point, but it seemed that his words weren't listened to. Heidegger laughed, he could recognize that from the large man's wobbling stomach, and shuddered at the thought of the loud horse laugh. He could also feel the room grow quiet as everyone turned to the door to see Hojo walk in. Sephiroth leaned closer and watched the professor who didn't sit down, only stood at the head of the table and gave some sort of a report. He cursed when he couldn't hear or even read the man's lips.

* * *

Aeris, Barret, Cid and Tifa glanced at each other and the flower girl leaned closer when they saw the professor walk in to the conference room. This was the man who had kidnapped her parents and destroyed her peaceful world.

The president cleared his throat. "Hojo. How's the woman? And Gast?"

"As a specimen? I'm still in the process of comparing her to other data we have of her kind. It would have been good to get the daughter as well, but... Gast is a great help, he's ready to do anything I tell him to. As long as I promise that his wife and daughter won't come to any harm." The professor chuckled and shook his head. So far, he hadn't agreed to anything.

"How long will the research take?" The president asked, glancing at the others quickly. Most of them seemed uncomfortable in the professor's presence.

"Probably 120 years. It's impossible to finish in our lifetime. Or in the lifetime of the specimen too, for that matter. That's why we're thinking of breeding her. Then we could create one that could withstand our research for a long time. Even if we'd find the daughter, we'd eventually run out of specimens." Hojo sounded like he was talking of simple, short-lived animals or insects. His words made Aeris and the others want to rip him apart.

"What about the Promised Land? Won't it hinder our plans?"

That made the professor think, while the others stared at him, as if afraid to speak. "That's what I need to plan. She is strong... and yet has her weaknesses." He laughed and shrugged. The president gave an uncomfortable smile and leaned back in his chair.

"That concludes our meeting."

They all left swiftly, not saying one word to each other. The red-clad woman looked up at the vent and the four of them instantly pulled back, but she was just smelling the air and soon left.

"...that bitch Scarlet..." Barret muttered and added a few chosen words about the red-clad woman's virtues, or the lack of them.

Cid moved uncomfortably in the tight vent and looked at the flower girl. "They were talking about your parents... right?"

Aeris nodded and bit her lower lip. She hadn't liked what she had heard, and was more determined to free her mother and father than before.

"Let's follow them." Tifa suggested and they started to crawl back towards the men's room. They ran quickly but quietly out and followed the professor up to the next floor. There they found themselves in a huge room full of boxes and specimens in glass jars, labeled and stacked in neat piles. Hojo talked for a moment with his assistant before heading to the back of the room. They heard some of the words, not daring to step closer.

When Hojo was gone they sneaked out to the middle of the room where a large, red beast was locked in a glass cylinder. Tifa walked up to the glass and tapped it, repeating the words she had heard Hojo call the creature. "Precious specimen...? Is it going to be used for a biological experiment?" She turned to the others who came carefully closer. Aeris took a few steps ahead to see where the professor had gone.

"There's a lift there... let's follow him!" The flower girl said, grabbing her fighting staff tightly. The others nodded and followed her, giving the red beast one last look. It stared back, intelligence glowing in its one remaining eye.

They realized that they would be in anyone's clear sight even before the lift stopped in the upper floor, but a sneak attack was out of the question when Aeris saw her parents in the middle of the laboratory.

"Mom! Dad!" She shouted and ran out of the lift as soon as she could get the door to open.

Ifalna was in a similar cylinder to the one below, shaking her head when she saw her daughter, joy and fear battling on her face. Professors Gast and Hojo were outside the tank, watching her, but Gast turned when he heard Aeris.

"No! Aeris, get out while you still can!" He shouted, eyeing the other professor and the man in the laboratory's control room. But Aeris only ran towards them, followed closely by Tifa, Cid and Barret.

"We're getting you two outta here!" The leader of Avalanche growled as he aimed his arm towards Hojo. The scientist just glanced at them and snorted.

"Outsiders... are you going to kill me? I don't think you should. The equipment here is extremely delicate. Without me, who could operate it? Not dear Gast, not without my passwords and knowledge. I've made myself quite irreplaceable."

Barret growled and waved his gun-arm at the man futilely while Aeris hugged her father, staring at her mother over his shoulder. The professor was sobbing, holding her as if he was trying to shield her from the world.

"I recommend you think things out logically before you make any rash moves." Hojo said, watching Gast and Aeris, smiling. "So this is your lovely daughter? How kind of her to spare us the trouble of having to search for her..." the professor shrugged and turned towards the control room. "Well, there's time to take care of you later. Now, bring in the specimen!"

Ifalna turned in the tube to see the red beast rise through a hole in the floor. She started to scream in fear, making Aeris scream for her. Gast ran to shake Hojo from the collar of his labcoat.

"You bastard! You promised they'd be safe! You promised!"

"Dear Gast, you made me promise but I never did. Just... think of this as lending a helping hand to an endangered species... both of them are on the brink of extinction... if I don't help, all these animals will disappear."

Cid swore and gripped his spear tightly while Tifa stepped forward, flexing her fists. "Animal? That's terrible! She is a human being!"

"You're gonna pay!" Barret roared, aiming his gun at the professor and then at the cylinder, where the beast looked like it was going to attack Ifalna. She had backed against the glass, begging to be let out.

"Barret! Can't you do anything?" Aeris pleaded, tears in her eyes. The dark man nodded and aimed at the top of the cylinder.

"Awright!! Screw delicacy and step back!"

Hojo screamed at him to stop but Barret opened fire, and the cylinder began to glow. Gast shielded Aeris with his body and screamed for Ifalna while Hojo ran over to the door.

"Wh... what are you do-- oh! My precious specimens!"

Barret's bullets had the desired effect. The door slid open right in front of Hojo, and the red beast leaped out and on top of the scientist, pinning him to the floor.

"Ifalna!" Gast shouted and ran into the chamber. She had fallen on her knees but he helped her up and out into the laboratory. They noticed that the floor was sliding down again, but paid it no mind as Aeris was in their arms the next second.

Hojo struggled to get out from underneath his previous specimen, making scientific comments all the while. The beast shook its large head and turned to Cid and Tifa who watched the happy family reunion. Barret had gone to the cylinder, watching the hole in the floor. "He's rather strong. I'll help you all out." The specimen suddenly said with a clear and even voice.

"It talked!?" Tifa exclaimed, stepping curiously closer to the beast. Cid, on the other hand, took a step back.

"I'll talk as much as you want later, miss. Now we have other things to think about." The beast said and nodded towards the lift, where a monster was rising through the hole.

"Aeris, get yer parents and get out of here! We'll take care of this bastard!" Barret shouted and opened fire on the thing. The flower girl nodded and guided her parents to safety.

Hojo, momentarily forgotten, scooted away from them all.

Tifa looked at Hojo's ex-specimen, still intrigued by the speaking beast.

"What's your name?"

"Hojo named me Red XIII. A name with no meaning whatsoever to me. Call me whatever you wish." The beast murmured and called up a fire spell to fight the monster. Tifa nodded and joined the fight as well.

* * *

Watching the battle was interesting. These rebels weren't as bad as the usual anti-Shin-Ra groups he had come across in his days in Soldier. There had always been people, more or less determined to get rid of Shin-Ra and his empire, but most of them decided things were fine as they were after someone got hurt. But this small group, they fought like they meant it. Four people, attacking the headquarters? He had been skeptical but impressed when they had found a way to eavesdrop on the board meeting, and had wished he had been with them when they found Hojo's laboratory. And now the fight with the monster and its ... well, he guessed that they might have been it's ... cubs. Offspring, whatever. Ugly, nevertheless. But they fought them with practiced ease and order, even though the girl soon backed away and ran after the small family, no doubt to see that they were all right. Seeing that the rest could take care of the monsters he concentrated and followed the girl, soon seeing her join the flower girl and her parents. They talked quickly, motioning with their hands a lot, and stayed away from everyone's sight.

Soon the rest joined them as well, and after more talking they started to make their way back out of the headquarters. Sephiroth guessed it wouldn't be that easy, not now when there were people who knew that they were there, and smirked when he saw two familiar faces.

"So... the Turks are still alive..." he muttered and cocked his head when Reno and Rude cuffed everyone and guided them away from the elevators. Three troopers took the flower girl's mother and started to lead her to another direction, which made professor Gast go almost ballistic. Sephiroth didn't remember the man but knew that he had been the master mind behind the project he had been the product of. The man who was to blame for his sorry existence even more than Hojo. He watched without any kind of emotion how Rude knocked the man senseless and ordered three troopers to take him somewhere, away from his wife and daughter and the group of rebels.

The Turks walked their captives to the president's office, Reno poking them with his electric rod. The weapon wasn't on, but the jabs still seemed somewhat painful. The red-head had bandages around his head and arm, but Sephiroth had no idea what had happened, nor time to think about it as the group stopped in front of the president's desk. The sight of him made Sephiroth almost growl. The old man hadn't changed a bit, maybe gained more weight, and gotten more annoying. Still, he wished he could have heard what they were talking about. Shin-Ra looked too pleased with himself.

* * *

"You bastard! What did you do to my mother? And where is my father?" Aeris shouted, tears in her eyes. She had gotten her parents back, only to lose them again. It would have been a bit easier if she'd known that they were together, but the troopers had taken her back towards the laboratory and him to a completely different direction.

Barret fought with the cuffs that had locked his mismatched hands behind his back and growled while Cid muttered obscenities and tried to kick Reno when the Turk poked at him with the electric rod, just to tease the pilot.

Tifa and Red stood close to each other, Rude keeping an eye on both of them. The red beast was also growling, the fur of his neck standing up with his dark mane.

The president stood up and shrugged. "They're in a safe place. You're the last surviving Ancients... the Cetra." He started to pace while Cid snorted and pulled at his hands, muttering something about too much Mako in the brain. Reno poked him in the back again.

"Didn't you know? They called themselves the Cetra and lived thousands of years ago. Now they are just a forgotten page in history. Except for you, young lady, and your mother." Shin-Ra continued, pacing a bit, clearly getting into his own words.

Red turned his head a bit towards Aeris, watching her. The mother had had something in her scent, something unlike normal human beings. Could they really be members of that race?

The president went on, apparently not really caring if anyone listened to him or not. "Cetra, or the Ancients, will show us the way to the Promised Land. I'm expecting a lot out of you two."

"The Promised Land? Isn't that just a legend?" The red beast asked with his low voice, aiming the question both at the man and to Aeris. He noticed that the girl shook her head, just a bit.

The president, missing this, shrugged and laughed. "Even so, it's far too appealing not to pursue. It's been said the Promised Land is very fertile... and if the land is fertile..." he spread his hands and turned to the captives, like a teacher waiting for an answer. Barret was the first to say it out loud.

"...then there's gotta be Mako! You bastard..." he growled and started to struggle with the cuffs again.

Reno poked at him while Shin-Ra continued. "Exactly. That is why our money-making Mako Reactor is necessary. The abundant Mako will flow out on its own. That is where Neo-Midgar will be built. Shin-Ra's new glory..."

Cid swore loudly and Barret added a few of his own words as well. "Quit dreamin'!" The gun-armed man roared, leaning towards the president who seemed unimpressed. Reno laughed and turned his rod on, waving it in front of Barret and Cid's faces.

"Watch it, boys!"

"Really, didn't you know? These days all it takes for your dreams to come true is money and power." Shin-Ra said matter-of-factly and walked to stand in front of Tifa and Red. He looked at the both of them for a moment and shrugged. "Well, that is all for out meeting."

A wave of his hand told the Turks to take the prisoners away. Reno gestured with his rod for them to start walking, and they obeyed, staying away from the crackling electricity. Only Barret remained in place.

"Hold it! I got a lot to say to you!" He shouted at the president but Rude, almost as tall and maybe even stronger, dragged him away with the others.

Shin-Ra took a few steps to follow them, smiling with a dangerous glint in his eyes. "Oh yes... if there's anything else... talk to my secretary."

* * *

Sephiroth hadn't heard one word about the conversation, but could figure out what had been said. No doubt the flower girl had asked after her parents, and Shin-Ra must have bragged about his money and Mako, and how he could achieve anything with them. The man was so intolerable, so caught up in his own little world where everything came to him if he only said a word. He thought he could rule over everyone, and do anything he wanted.

Shin-Ra had ruled him, as well. All those years. Gast and Hojo had made him, but it had always been the president who approved the projects, who said what could be done. A kinder man, one who would stop to think of his actions and not only what he could gain with them wouldn't have let anyone do to a living thing what had been done to him. He had to tell himself that. All humans couldn't be that cruel.

/But they are, my son. Remember, they are the traitors. They killed our kinfolk. Show them no mercy./

Sephiroth snorted and, eventually, nodded. He had heard those words so many times during the last years he did believe them. The humans were below him, below her. They were less than worms. But still, some of them...

Glancing at the image of the president who once again sat behind his desk, he thought about the injustice of it all. This fat worm ruled half the world, while Jenova and him, the true rulers of this world, sat here in a cold cave. With a wave of his hand, Sephiroth let the images drift away and closed his eyes. A smirk crept on his face when he thought of something fun to do. Jenova had only told him not to meddle in the puppet's life yet, leave that to her, but she hadn't said anything about the other ones...

* * *

A.N: This bit was delayed due to schoolwork. But now that's over, and it's the start of summer! ...and work. Still, should have more time to write!

I don't know why Word keeps doing this, it refuses to show the document as I've edited it, and squeezes the text together... sigh

That was the first chapter, the next one is gonna follow the game as well but I intend to go offroad after that... bear with me!


	20. 2, Chapter Two

Don't own them. Why do I have to be reminded of that every time?

* * *

**Chapter two: So how do we get out?**

-

Aeris stood at the door of the small cell, staring out of the small, barred window. Behind her, Tifa sat on the one bed, leaning her back against a wall and staring at the ceiling. The flower girl presumed that the others were in cells nearby, she had heard Cid swearing. That made her smile a little, even though she was worried about her parents and wanted nothing more than to get out and find them.

She had finally found them, only to lose them again. At least she knew that they were alive. But what had been the cost of that knowledge?

She and Tifa had been dropped from the Don's bedroom to the sewers below, from where they had made their way quickly back to Sector 7, just in time to see the last breaths of three of their comrades in Avalanche, and to witness a red-haired Turk setting up a bomb to destroy the pillar holding up the sector's plate. They had escaped with Cid and Barret just in time before tons of metal and stone had collapsed on the slums, destroying them completely and killing everyone. Their only comfort had been that Barret's small daughter Marlene and Shera had escaped the slums before the pillar had collapsed, and were now somewhere safe. The four of them had met them briefly, and Shera had said that she would take the girl away from Midgar, as the whole city was in an uproar. The rest had decided to use the chaos and enter the Shin-Ra Headquarters, to look for Aeris's parents, and maybe even to revenge the deaths of the thousands.

Now they were stuck here, in the cells at the laboratory floor. If they couldn't figure a way to get out, they'd just have to sit still and wait for the president to decide what he wanted to be done with them. Maybe even a public trial and execution. They'd willingly take the blame for blowing up the reactors, but Aeris feared that Shin-Ra would pin the blame of the pillar's collapse on them as well.

"Aeris... can I ask you something?" Tifa asked suddenly, startling the other girl. Her quiet voice echoed slightly in the barren room.

Aeris turned from the door, leaned her back against it and shrugged. "Sure, go ahead." From the small group of Avalanche, Tifa was closest to her age, only two years younger. Once they had both gotten over their initial suspicions of each other, they had become quite good friends, although they hadn't had much time to really talk about things.

Tifa sat up and turned her red eyes to Aeris' green ones. "The president talked about the Promised Land. Does it really exist?"

The flower girl smiled and came to sit down next to her. "My mother talks to me often of the Cetra. They were born from the Planet, speak with the Planet, and unlock the Planet. And then... the Cetra will return to the Promised Land. A land that promises supreme happiness."

"What does that mean?"

"When our bodies cease to exist, our spirits don't die, they return to the Promised Land and join the Lifestream. Still conscious, although not quite the same way as you and I are now. It is an existence in spirit, and since there's no flesh, no urges or needs, it is a place of peace and happiness." Aeris struggled with the words a bit. She had heard them from her mother many times ever since she was a child, but telling them to someone else, someone who hadn't heard them before, it felt like telling a secret.

"Can you speak with the Planet?" Tifa asked after considering the words for a moment.

"Sometimes. When I am in a quiet place. In cities and towns there's so much people and noise. That's why I can't always make out what the Planet is saying. Here in Midgar I can only hear it at the church in the Slums. Mother always said that Midgar was no longer safe. That's why we lived in Icicle Inn, far from this all. I wish we could just go back there, and back in time, before Hojo laid his eyes on us."

From behind their backs they could hear Cid cursing.

"Cid? Are you there? Are you alone?" Tifa asked, pressing her cheek against the wall.

"Yeah, I'm here. The big guy's also here, trying to work his brain..."

"Shut up!" They heard Barret's growl and smiled. Heavy footsteps came closer to the wall, and soon they heard their leader's voice again.

"I've been thinkin'. Shin-Ra is searching for that Promised Land. He believes that it's full of Mako energy. Which means, if the Shin-Ra get there, they'll suck up all the Mako, and the land'll wither away. The Planet's gonna get weaker. Am I right?"

Aeris nodded and closed her eyes. "Yes, Barret. That's what my parents believe as well."

"Oh hell! I can't just leave 'em be. I'm recruitin' new members! Me, Tifa, Cid, Aeris, you too. How about Red? Is he there?" Barret's voice came through the wall again, this time with more energy and determination. The girls could imagine Cid rolling his eyes and swearing. They almost jumped when a low voice came from behind the opposite wall.

"I am here. I will join you, at least until I find a way to get back home."

"Red?" Tifa asked and got off the bed, walking across the room to press her ear against the wall. "Are you all right?"

"Yes, thank you."

"Where is your home? What are you? I've never met anyone like you, or heard about your kind." The barmaid asked, looking over at Aeris who cocked her head, also curious to hear the answer.

"An informed question. But difficult to answer. I am what you saw I am. Aeris, I apologize for what happened back there with your mother. I was merely acting to throw Hojo off guard."

"It's all right, I'm sure she'll understand."

"We'll find a way out of here, and find a way to free her and your father as well. But for now I think the best thing to do would be sleeping. We will need our strength later." Red's voice came through the wall and Aeris passed his words to Barret and Cid. They agreed and Avalanche, old and new, settled down to sleep.

* * *

Even after midnight, the headquarters was never completely empty. But he had no trouble staying out of the guard's way; the men were half asleep even as they patrolled the hallways. The clerks, those who didn't work or sleep in their offices, reminded him of zombies that he had seen in those old horror movies Zackery had loved to watch.

No, no time for nostalgia now. He had a mission. Sephiroth smirked and moved past a yawning guard. He hadn't told Jenova what he was going to do. She read his thoughts, he wouldn't have to tell her anything. She hadn't said anything, but hadn't objected either, and he had taken it as a permission to have some fun with the group of rebels. Even if they weren't a part of their great plan, they still might be of some use. But stuck here, in prison cells, they wouldn't be able to do anything.

Teleporting here had been easy, he remembered the place so vividly. Still, it had taken a lot of his strength, he had never teleported this far before. It didn't matter, though, he was still far stronger than anyone here, and there was no hurry back, he might as well see if he could do something else to keep himself amused. Their plan wouldn't go into action until Hojo's little puppet was ready to work for them. After that, Sephiroth suspected he wouldn't be having much time to spare anymore.

He had arrived a few floors below the laboratories, and made his way quickly to the 67th floor, where the rebels were held. And where the lower half of Hojo's laboratory was. Sephiroth already knew that the professor wasn't in the building anymore, and was relieved because of that. They hadn't seen each other since five years ago in Nibelheim, and that was fine with him. It also meant he wouldn't have to fear getting caught here, as the laboratory workers were always more relaxed and less dutiful when the professor was away.

He looked quickly into the laboratory before heading towards the holding cells. The place made his skin crawl. Even after he'd been released from the laboratory in Nibelheim, after he'd come here to Midgar and joined Soldier, Hojo had still insisted to see him every now and then, in the laboratory, for check-ups. Walking past the caged and tortured specimens had been a nightmare, even when he had been a teenager, for he could still remember a time when he had been one of them. At some point he had gotten over it, though, and had even forgotten his fear of Hojo. Maybe it had been when he had realized he was a head taller than the professor, who was getting older.

Returning to Nibelheim five years ago had brought the memories back, and the laboratory was once again as painful to see as it had been some fifteen years ago. Now it also enraged him, to think how badly he, a rightful ruler of this miserable planet, had been treated. He'd get Hojo back, sooner or later. Now the man was still useful, but soon...

The lone guard died without a sound, dead before he even realized that there was seven feet of sword through his heart. Sephiroth turned the Masamune and let the man slide down the length of the blade, to collapse on the floor. He had taken the key card before the body even hit the ground with a low thud. At random he picked one of the doors and slid the card into the locking device, watching how the light above the door turned from red to green. The rebels could do the rest themselves.

He knew that he left bloody footprints in his wake but didn't mind. They would lead the rebels to their destiny. Sephiroth wasn't sure how much Jenova knew of this part of his little night out, but figured that she would have stopped him already if he wasn't allowed to do what he was looking forward to doing.

Up the stairs, killing the ill-fortuned guards who happened on his way, he walked to the place that was a stage of some of his worse memories, after the laboratories. The times he had been summoned up to the president's office had always been most uncomfortable. The war in Wutai, the quick briefings for the more dangerous missions, all the bossing around. But now he would get even for all that. No more would he be Shin-Ra's little puppet, following every pull of the strings.

The door opened without a sound, the Masamune slicing through every lock and alarm that blocked his way. His blood-covered boots made no sound and his black clothes made sure he was practically invisible in the shadows.

The president was laughing, sitting behind his desk, while Palmer stood in front of it, shaking and trying to get comprehensible words out of his mouth. Sephiroth smirked and started to laugh as well, a low and menacing sound. It grew louder and eventually silenced the president and both men turned to stare into the shadows just as he cut the rest of the alarm cables.

"...mister president... how good to see you're fine..." Sephiroth said and stepped out of the shadows so that the lights fell upon his hair and face. Palmer started to stutter and back away, towards the huge windows at the far end of the room. The president stood up, pressing the alarm. "Don't worry, no one will come and disturb our little meeting." He continued and walked to the table.

In Shin-Ra's defense, he stood his ground, not letting the fear show. Only a few drops of sweat appeared on his forehead and slid down his face. "Sephiroth. I... we... hadn't expected to see you. You have been gone for years." His voice was steady, despite the initial stutters.

"But nothing has changed, has it? Still after Mako, are you?" Sephiroth answered in a conversational tone, keeping his face straight. He walked across the table's length, watching the material and how one of his gloved fingers glided on it, sometimes leaving a small smudge of blood to the smooth surface. Neither Shin-Ra nor Palmer had missed the fact that his other hand carried the bloody Masamune. The plump executive squeaked and closed his eyes. The president kept his on the ex-general who was now on his side of the desk.

"Your precious Mako... and the Promised Land? You still wish to find it?"

"Of course." Shin-Ra answered. "We will find it. I take it you have returned to lead Soldier again. I'm glad, there hasn't been a general nearly as good as you were-- are." His tone sounded friendly but couldn't quite cover fear and the truth that he had never expected to see Sephiroth again and had no intention of letting him live for longer than two hours, unless he could be of some use.

"No." Sephiroth merely said, shaking his head a little, and finally lifted his hand and eyes from the desk. "I've come here to make sure you never get your Promised Land."

The president turned to flee as the Masamune came up but was too late. The weapon slid into his back and through internal organs, the bloody tip soon appearing again through the front of the man's shirt. Sephiroth guided the limp body back to the chair and pushed it closer to the table, letting the upper body fall on it. Satisfied with his revenge, he almost forgot Palmer. He would have just walked away but the man inhaled particularly loud and drew his attention to himself.

Smirking, Sephiroth walked noiselessly to the shivering man. Hiding behind a pillar, Palmer had covered his face with his hands, blind to the world. The silver-haired man tapped him gently on the shoulder.

"Y-yes?" Palmer asked and looked through his fingers, clearly sure that he was going to die and ashamed that he had not the courage to face it like a man.

Sephiroth smiled, bowed down and cocked his head. "Boo."

Palmer fainted.

He watched as the fat body fell limp on the floor and shook his head. Worms. All of them.

* * *

Aeris couldn't sleep. She had dozed for a few minutes every now and then, but it wasn't real sleep or rest. She was too worried about her parents, and too far from the Planet to hear it. As a child, that had always soothed her and made her feel comfortable. But here, far above the earth, in a huge building of metal, there was no way to touch it, no way to get near the spirits that had always surrounded her.

With a sigh she rolled over to face the dark room in stead of Tifa's back. The fighter was deep asleep, and she envied her for it. There was only the one bed, they could barely fit on it. And the blanket was nowhere near big enough for the both of them. She tried to pull some of it to cover her, but Tifa was desperately clinging to most of it. Aeris yanked at it and wondered why was it so chilly in the cell. It had been much warmer earlier, now there was a draft. She looked over at the door and almost fell from the bed in surprise when she saw that it was open.

"What... when did that open..." she muttered and sat up. Glancing over at the sleeping Tifa, Aeris stood up and walked quietly to the open portal. Looking out, she gasped as she saw someone lying in a pool of blood on the floor, a few yards to the left. She ran over to the guard, ready to heal the man, but shook her head when she saw that he was dead. Had been for a while. Not long, though, his skin was still a little warm, and the blood hadn't dried yet. Whoever had done this might still be close. With a shudder she stood up and ran back to the cell.

"Tifa... Tifa wake up!"

"What... what's wrong?" The sleepy barmaid asked before she even opened her eyes. Aeris gestured towards the open door. Tifa sat up and blinked a few times. "How did you open that?"

"I didn't. Come, look outside. Something's going on."

They both ran back to the guard, and Tifa thought to check him for the key cards to the other cells. They quickly woke Red, Barret and Cid, although the pilot was intent to sleep for five more minutes. Eventually Barret just picked him up by the neck and set the blond up on his legs.

"The hell's goin' on!?" Barret asked as they all stood around the body. The girls shrugged and Cid shook his head.

Red was already following the trail of bloody footsteps. "I'll go on ahead. To check the way." He said and ran off before anyone had a chance to say anything.

Cid scratched his neck and yawned, wishing that he had his spear. "I'll bet ya ten gil that's the last we'll see of him..."

Barret shook his head and kneeled down. "I'll clean up back here, don't want them on our trail before we've had a good head start. You guys go ahead. And don't get caught by Shin-Ra! I'll catch up in a sec."

Cid nodded and started to lead the girl after Red. The blood trail was easy enough to follow, and after a few more bodies they found the large beast sitting at the doorway to the laboratory. There was a body of a laboratory worker in front of him, on the floor.

"Looks like it went to the upper floor using that elevator for the specimens. We'd better follow."

"In a minute..." Aeris said, looking desperately around.

"They are not here, I would have scented them. Neither is Hojo. He's the only one here." With one paw he gestured at the body. Aeris closed her eyes and nodded eventually.

"If you don't mind, I'd still like to see for myself."

"We'd better wait for Barret anyway..." Tifa muttered and followed her deeper into the laboratory. Cid shrugged and stayed with Red.

Barret joined them soon after, and they continued to follow the bloody footsteps together. Up to the higher floors, and towards the staircase to the

"...president's office..." Tifa muttered and looked at the others. Was this a trap?

They got ready to fight, but once they got into the office, the only thing they found was the president. At first glance they thought he had fallen asleep on his desk, until they saw the long sword sticking out of his back.

"Oh... shit." Cid muttered.

Barret shook his head and wandered closer to the desk. "He's dead... The head of Shin-Ra is dead..."

Tifa ran to the President, followed more slowly by the others. "That sword... I've seen it before, I know..."

"Shit again..." Cid muttered and searched his pockets for a cigarette with a shaky hand. The pack in his goggles had been empty since this morning. The one day when he could REALLY have used the nicotine. "Sephiroth's..."

Tifa whirled around to stare at him. "Sephiroth is alive? And here? I though he disappeared five years ago! After burning Nibelheim!"

"That's when I saw him last, five years ago. That's his sword, that's for sure... aw hell, what's going on?" Cid muttered, shaking his head, and leaned over the desk to take a closer look of the sword.

"Who cares who did it? This is the end of the Shin-Ra!" Barret said, smiling a bit as he watched the body carefully, imprinting the visual to his mind.

"A death, murder the less, is never fun..." Aeris muttered and almost jumped when Palmer suddenly ran from behind a pillar towards the staircase. Red, Cid and Barret moved to stop him, and the men grabbed the shaking executive.

"P-p-p-please, don't kill me!" Palmer squeaked, pale and clearly shocked. Barret shook him a bit.

"Tell us what happened here."

Palmer nodded, eager to please. "Se... Sephiroth. Sephiroth came."

"Did you see him?" Cid asked, his eyes unconsciously searching the man for any sign of cigarettes. You'd think that the lardball would be a smoker, but no.

"Yeah, I saw him! With my own eyes!" The man nodded again and again, smiling.

"You're sure it was him?" Barret asked.

"Who else would have hair like that? Would I lie at a time like this? I heard his voice, too!"

Cid and Barret looked at each other. The man had to be serious. The girls had come to listen the conversation as well.

"What did he say?" Red asked, cocking his head as he heard a quiet sound from the outside.

"Um, he said something about not letting the president have the Promised Land."

Tifa frowned and looked at Aeris. "Then... does that mean the Promised Land really does exist and that Sephiroth's here to save it from Shin-Ra?"

"So he's a good guy then?" Barret reasoned. Cid shook his head.

"Hell, I've met the guy, I don't think it's that simple. He's a nutcase, talking with a severed head and all..."

Palmer pulled away from them just then and ran towards the door to the balcony. They all heard the noise now which only Red had heard earlier.

A helicopter was flying outside the window, and it dropped someone off to the balcony. Palmer ran straight to the newcomer.

"Who is that?" Cid asked, squinting.

Barret swore and checked his gun arm. "It's Rufus! I forgot about him!"

"Who's that?" Aeris asked as a young, blond man with white clothes came into view. He stopped to talk with Palmer.

"It's vice president Rufus. The president's son." Barret explained and looked around. To finish Rufus now would surely end Shin-Ra's rule, but they were almost unarmed, and in one of the highest floors of the most well-guarded building in all of Midgar. And they still didn't know where Aeris' parents were. "Aw, hell! Let's get the hell outta here!" He ordered, and everyone turned to flee down the stairs.

"Not so fast." The Avalanche stopped and slowly turned back.

Rufus stood on the door to the balcony, pointing at them with a shotgun, a black panther-like creature at his side. "...just who are you?"

Barret took a step forward. Maybe the empire would come to an end tonight after all. "I'm from Avalanche!"

"Me too!" Tifa exclaimed.

Aeris nodded. "And I."

"A research specimen." Red decided to introduce himself with a term the vice president would recognize.

"A fucking space pilot." Cid said. If he'd die now, at least he'd go down as something he'd always wanted to be. He could feel the others give him strange looks but didn't mind.

Rufus laughed and lowered his weapon a bit. "What a crew. Well, I'm Rufus. THE President of Shin-Ra, Inc." He bowed a little, not at all disturbed by the fact that his dead father was only yards away.

Barret snorted and waved his human hand. "You're only President 'cause yer old man died!"

"That is correct. And since you're here at this special moment, I'll let you hear my inauguration speech." He stepped in to the room, Palmer behind his back, and walked around a bit, stretching his legs.

"My father tried to control the world with money, and that worked for him. The people believed that Shin-Ra would protect them. Work at Shin-Ra, get your pay. If terrorists attack, the Shin-Ra army will help you. It looked perfect on the outside.

"But, I do things differently. I'll control the world with fear. It's too much to do it like my old man. A little fear will control the minds of the common people. There's no reason to waste good money on them."

"Even if they don't look much alike, he sounds just like his father..." Tifa muttered to Aeris.

Barret was fuming next to them. Palmer saw that, and ran for the stairs. No one stopped him this time. Even Rufus just laughed.

"That's it! I won't let you become another fuckin' dictator like your old man, not as long as I live!" Barret shouted and aimed his gun-arm at the man. The guards had taken most of his bullets, but he should still have a few.

The blond man just spread his arms and laughed. "Why do you want to fight me?"

"This planet don't need another Shin-Ra to suck the life outta it! Kiss your ass goodbye..."

"What big words! Do you understand anything what's going on here? Do you have any idea of the bigger picture?" Rufus shouted, half laughing. "You mean nothing to me, little man, you and your little group! All I'm after is the Promised Land and Sephiroth."

"What do you want with that crazy son of a blue bitch?" Cid asked, hoping that Barret wouldn't shoot Rufus' blond little head all over the walls just yet.

"He is an Ancient. I've been aware of his continued existence for a while now, and have some plans of my own. He can be of much use. Hojo can keep the Ancient woman as his pet for all I care."

Aeris stepped forward. "Do you know of them? Her and professor Gast? Where are they?"

Rufus turned to look at her and smirked, flipping his hair back from his face. "Why, I heard that they were taken away from Midgar just this evening. Hojo took them 'somewhere safe', as he put it. In case we need them later, if my plans with Sephiroth fail."

Aeris knew she shouldn't trust this man, but the laboratory had been empty, and Red had said that they hadn't been there for a while. If they were alive still, there was a chance what Rufus said was the truth.

"We won't let you have either them or the Promised Land!" Tifa said, clenching her fists.

The vice president just shrugged. "I see. I guess we won't be allies then. Goodbye. It was thrilling to meet you." The shotgun came up, and the fight was on.

* * *

Sephiroth watched them, and this time he had no trouble hearing the words as well. He may have cut the alarms off, but the security cameras still worked. The dead guard at the next chair had voiced no objections when he had decided to keep an eye on the president's office.

It had been years since he'd last seen Rufus, but the young man was still much the same. A bit taller and the shoulders were wider, and his voice had dropped. And he had learned to fight. Still, he wasn't much of a match against the group, not even with the help of his pet. The vice president soon backed away and jumped to the waiting helicopter.

The Avalanche didn't waste more time but took off running. They stopped at the laboratory one more time and made sure that there was no trace of Hojo, Gast or Ifalna. Sephiroth had seen the report stating that Hojo was taking his prisoners away from Midgar, and the rebels found the same paper. If they would have stayed in the headquarters they would have eventually gotten caught again, and that would have spoiled all the fun for him.

The group decided to take one of the lifts down, but even there they had to fight their way. Two robots attacked them from the next lift but were swiftly destroyed. Indeed, these rebels kept getting better and better. This would be interesting.

He watched them destroy the robots and fight the guards downstairs, even though he lost them for a moment when the cameras couldn't follow them everywhere. But soon the rebels appeared on one little screen. Sephiroth smiled and started to laugh when he saw that they were driving two cars, a truck with the girls inside and the gun-armed man in the back, and a convertible with Highwind driving and the red beast on the backseat, down the stairs. He was overjoyed when they drove straight through a window and landed on a highway that lead away from the headquarters. The cameras wouldn't show him anything more, but he was sure that the small group would survive until he could catch up with them again.

The news of the president's death had spread through the house and people were running all over the place when he stepped out of the small security office. He could have waited for the people to calm down before leaving, but after that the guards would be on the lookout for anyone who looked like trouble. It would be easier to leave during this confusion.

He had considered heading straight back to the crater, but curiosity kept him here. He wanted to follow the rebels a while longer, see if he could manipulate them and if they could be used in any way. And he wanted to know what it was what Rufus wanted out of him. Sephiroth had never really talked with the younger man, had only met him a few times, in some board meetings years ago, when the blond had barely been in his teens. He'd seen Rufus around more than that, always followed by bodyguards and Turks. He recalled that Tseng had been teaching the boy at some point, Shin-Ra wanting a son who could stand up for himself no matter what. The head of the Turks had told him, in a long ago conversation, that the boy was intelligent, and was showing ruthlessness that could some day become trouble. The boy, if not brought up with some sense and discipline, could end up being a worse dictator than his old man.

Sephiroth smirked and shook his head, watching from shadows at the people running past him. Rule the world with fear. That was understandable, everyone knew that the president had spent years building his empire. Keeping the throne with fear would be much easier, not to mention cheaper. Rufus could do it, with no consideration to what it would do to Midgar and its people, and eventually to the whole world. The humans might be worms, but some of them were very arrogant ones.

But what did the new president want with him? How had he learned that he was alive? Newspapers had stated, after he had disappeared after the second disaster in Nibelheim, that the great General Sephiroth had died sometime during the Nibelheim incident, as it would go down to history as. No matter that the Turks, some Soldiers and few people in Rocket Town had seen him alive and in one piece after the incident. They would be either ignored or bought silent. He didn't know if even the president had known that he had survived. Hojo had known. No one else should have known. So the professor must have told them.

That still didn't explain what Rufus wanted him for. Did he want to find the Promised Land? Did he expect that Sephiroth would take him there? He shook his head again and stepped out of the shadows, confident that his spells would hide him from the people rushing by. He had no idea how to get to the Promised Land. Alive, that is. Old stories said that when you died, your soul would join the Lifestream and you would find supreme happiness in the Promised Land. As far as he knew, that was the only way to reach it. But if Rufus Shin-Ra knew of another way, he'd be most interested to hear of it as well.

Following the officers, Soldiers and executives, he walked back towards the president's office. The mass of curious people were kept out, but he pushed his way through them, no one paying attention to him.

The Turks were there, as well as all of the usual suits; Heidegger, who for once wasn't laughing, Scarlet, looking her best although she must have just gotten out of bed like the rest of them, Reeve, who just stared, pale-faced, and of course Palmer, who kept stuttering "Sephiroth did it" again and again. Rufus stood apart from them, watching the scene with a cool, aloof look on his face. Sephiroth walked to him and around the new president, watching him, judging the man. Rufus twitched suddenly and looked around, making the silver-haired man smirk. Could the blond sense him? Maybe. Let him. Rufus was too cocky for his own good, thinking he could just use the General like he wanted, thinking that he would obey such commands.

Rufus turned suddenly, his blue eyes scanning the room behind him, looking straight through Sephiroth. He smiled and began to laugh, so much this all amused him.

They shouldn't have been able to hear a thing, the spells muted his voice as well, but the executives looked up and around as one while the Turks pulled out their weapons. Maybe they couldn't hear him but they could sense him, somehow. That and their fear only made Sephiroth laugh louder, and he enjoyed the chills that clearly ran down the spines of people who he'd never had thought would own ones. He turned on his heels and walked out of the room, leaving his past where it should be, behind him.

This had been the best night in years. He couldn't remember when he had had this much fun.

* * *

Rufus stood in front of the large window in the president's office. HIS office. The body of his father had been taken away, and he was now alone with the Turks. His pet, Dark Nation, who had been injured in the fight with the Avalanche, was resting under the large desk, not caring that the floor was still red with blood.

The Turks, Rude, ever stoic behind his sunglasses, Reno, arm and head still in bandages after the fight at the Sector 7 pillar, and the newest one, a young woman named Elena, stood in attention on the other side of the desk, although there wasn't any noticeable difference between Reno's attention and the usual slouch. Rufus had just finished filling them in on what had happened with the rebels and how they had gotten away.

The blond president flipped his hair from his eyes and turned back to the Turks. "They can't have gotten far yet. Rude, Elena, follow them, and make sure they don't get in our way. Reno, you check the security tapes from today, see if you can see them and Sephiroth. We need to find him before they do. You two, as well, follow any leads of Sephiroth. Understood?"

"Yes, sir!" Elena exclaimed enthusiastically. Rude just nodded while Reno lifted the tip of his electric rod to his temple as an acknowledgement. Rufus nodded and the three Turks disappeared noiselessly from the room.

The new president of the Shin-Ra corporation smiled and sat in the new chair that had been brought to him just half an hour ago.

* * *

A.N:

"You're doing it again!"

The author snaps from her allergic daze and turns to see Zax glaring at her. "Huh?"

"You give them a bit of me and then ditch me for chapters! This is what, the second one, and I haven't even been mentioned yet?!" The Soldier screams, throwing his arms around.

"Chill, man, a little more and I'll throw you back in. Ok?"

"Can't you see that the people want ME, you jerk, not this... ... ...not-me-ness... ...thing..."

"...gee, Zax, I didn't know Cloud was contagious... snicker"

"You callin' my buddy dumb or something?!"

"No, but you almost make it sound like you don't believe Sephiroth can keep the reader's interest. It's like you're calling him boring or something..."

Zax frowns and twitches. "Um, well, that's not exactly what I meant... uhh..."

"Zackery. A word, please." Comes the General's chill voice, making the Soldier-boy twitch even more.

"Busted. Please leave a review!"


	21. 2, Chapter Three

Don't own the characters or the places. Why do I feel I'm repeating myself? :)

* * *

**Chapter three: Zoloms.**

-

Cid inhaled his lungs full of smoke and let it out with a long, satisfied sigh. They were out of Midgar and still alive. It had taken them a while to get to a town that was more than two farms within a mile from each other, but late last night they had arrived in Kalm. It was a small town, about the size of one of the sectors, but it was built of stone and wood, not metal, and the people seemed to be doing well.

Sun had just risen a while ago and woken the whole group. They had come down for breakfast and decided to plan their next step after it. The pilot had stolen a few moments just for himself and his cigarettes. Lately there seemed to be a lot more going on than just harassing Shin-Ra and trying to save Aeris's parents, and Cid wondered how serious this all was going to get. The president was dead, Rufus was taking his place and searching for the Promised Land and Sephiroth, who seemed to have plans of his own. With a shake of his head he threw the end of the cigarette away and went back in, feeling that this was going to get a lot weirder yet.

The rest already waited in the room where he, Barret and Red had stayed. The girls had had their own room. On the trip from Midgar they had already wondered if they should pursue Sephiroth or Hojo, or if following one would lead to the other. Now the conversation was back on again.

Red and Barret were mostly doing the talking now, the beast explaining his own suspicions of the whole affair. Tifa stood in front of a window and Aeris sat on one of the beds, reading again the report she had taken from the laboratory in the HQ. It stated, in Hojo's own handwriting, that he was taking professor Gast and the Cetra specimen away from Midgar, to his personal laboratory. It just didn't say where that was. But thinking back, Cid had remembered that Sephiroth and his friends had headed for Nibelheim when they had been hunting Hojo. Now that Sephiroth was back, and had been seen in Midgar, before seemingly disappearing again, they had come to the conclusion that maybe he searched for Hojo as well. But Cid suspected there was more to it than that.

"And since he killed the president, it's likely that he's out for revenge on other people as well. Maybe he is protecting the Promised Land or searching for it himself, I don't know, but until we know more of him I think that it would be more productive to try and find the professor and his wife." Red was just finishing and the others nodded.

"Sounds like a plan." Barret said slowly and turned to Cid. "Your turn now, what do you know of Sephiroth? You met him before, what's he like?"

Cid shrugged and sat down on a bed, opposite Aeris. He had mentioned in the HQ that he had met the man, and on the trip here had promised to tell the rest all he knew. "Hell, I first met the crazy bastard some five years back, soon after Nibelheim had burned down. The Turks were looking for him and telling some pretty lies to the Nibelheimers who had come to Rocket Town. I followed one of them to the woods and saved Sephiroth's friends from being ventilated with bullets. Two of them, a Soldier, and a blonde kid. The Soldier fella, he convinced me to take him back to Nibelheim, and the reactor, and of course I was stupid enough to do it. Should know when to say no...

"Anyway, he tells me that the General is in there and he has to get to him before something bad happens. The other guy is hurt pretty badly so we leave him with Shera and get on my plane. Damn I miss my baby..."

"Don't worry, I'm sure Shera is fine. And Marlene." Tifa said. Cid gave him a weird look, shrugged and continued.

"We get to the reactor, he gets the General out and we run, because Sephiroth set a bomb or something inside it. Sounds like he'd be a good candidate for Avalanche..." no one else laughed at his attempt of humour, so the pilot coughed and continued.

"As we're taking off, two Turks hitch a ride, the same ones we met at the HQ, and when we get back to Rocket Town we take them captive. Meanwhile Shera's found the kid's mom who came from Nibelheim with the other refugees, and they're waiting at my place. We lock up the Turks and sit down to have some tea, like nice, civilized people. Sephiroth, he's been carrying around this ... severed blue head since I met him, and says that it's his mother. The guy is nuts, I tell ya. Out of his fucking mind.

"I mean, he drinks his goddamned tea with the thing sitting on his lap! Thanks all politely-like and goes to talk with the Turks. The Soldier guy says that he doesn't have a clue what's going on and promises to keep the place in one piece while I go out to check what's going on outside.

"The problem is, the Turks brought troopers with them, and they're now going nuts, searching for their bosses to tell them how to piss or something. Useless lot... but they're searching the houses, and if they find three little Turks tied up in my garage, no amount of explanations or sexual desires ain't gonna explain that. And the Nibelheimers, they're out for Shin-Ra's and Sephiroth's blood. They're convinced that he burned the town and is therefore responsible for the deaths." Cid raised his hand when Tifa opened her mouth to say something.

"I know, girl, but the Soldier swore that they had nothing to do with it. It was Hojo's goons, or some escaped specimen, I don't know, but I trusted the guy. He might have been wrong to trust that fruitcake, but I think he was telling the truth.

"Anyway, I go back in and boom! The fuckin' General has left the building. Just what I needed. The Soldier goes to look for him. He comes back a while later, saying that he's found the guy and he'll come back soon. But before that, all friggin' hell breaks loose." He searched his pockets for the lighter and started a cigarette, ignoring the looks he was getting. He needed something to calm his nerves, even thinking about the things five years back made him nervous.

"The kid's mom... she'd talked with the Turks earlier, something about them wanting to find his son as well. They were telling her that he was a monster or something, and she made some sorta deal with them. I don't know what, but while I was out, she went to the garage and let the Turks free. And when the kid has some sorta crazy fit, they burst outta there and try to take us hostage or something. They start threatening us, want to know where Sephiroth is, thinking that we're hiding him under the bed or something..." his hands shook a bit when he shook the ash from the cigarette to the palm of his hand.

"The leader, I think he was called Tseng, he grabs the kid's mom and threatens to kill her if we don't zap Sephiroth there right then. Well, the kid snaps and... kills him. Just like that. One minute he's sitting on the bed, the next they're both on the floor and the Turk's bleeding all over the place. The two other Turks take off, forgetting us and Sephiroth, who comes in the next minute. We're all still trying to fuckin' comprehend what's going on, but he grabs the kid and demands information. Then he starts to boss us around. Don't get me wrong, someone needed to, we were pretty fucked in the brain. We ran to the Bronco and got the hell outta there, but the two Turks had found the troopers and they're shooting us. They hit the plane and we crash into the sea. The kid's mom isn't with us anymore, she hit the road when we go outta the house.

"Next thing we know, it's the morning after and we're floatin' in the sea, somewhere between Wutai and the western continent. No idea where, there's no land in sight. The Bronco was in pretty bad shape but we'd all survived. Sephiroth was still carrying that bloody head around, and seemed more interested in its well-being than for the rest of us. I spent a few hours fixing the Bronco before I managed to get her engines to work, and we eventually found land. We were somewhere between Gongaga and Cosmo Canyon, and spent the night in this small village which was the first place we came across.

"Shera and I shared one room, and the three guys had their own. They didn't leave it at all that night, I had to ask someone to take their meals up there. Wise, I guess, we didn't know how badly Shin-Ra wanted to find them. Shera's glasses had broken during the crash landing so we went to get them fixed, and I checked on the trio before turning in for the night. I think they were plotting what to do, where to go. Anyway, in the morning, they took off towards Cosmo Canyon, saying they wanted to get a transport from there on, and head to Nibelheim to finish their business with Hojo. The son of a gun was apparently keeping one of their buddies captive there. And I think it had something to do with the blue head as well. The General wasn't much of a talker, the kid even less. The Soldier guy talked a lot, but that's all I know." He finished with a shrug and shook the ashes from his hand. The others were still thinking about his words, fitting this new information to what they already knew of Sephiroth.

"But official records stated that Sephiroth died. I read it in the newspaper." Tifa said after a moment. The others nodded, it had been all over the headlines five years ago.

"Maybe so, but Shin-Ra owns the newspapers, so you can't rely on that." Aeris muttered, joining the conversation for the first time.

Cid shrugged. "I remember reading it too. It was kinda hard to believe, considering that I had seen the nutcase myself days after his presumed death. Very much alive. They headed to Nibelheim, but I don't know shit about what happened there. Maybe he died, maybe his buddies died, maybe the guy who killed the prez was some loonie who thought to imitate him. Fuck, I dunno." He spread his arms before leaning back to lie down on the bed. "What's the truth? Search me."

Barret crossed his thick arms over his chest. "Well sittin' here on our asses won't help us any. We need to decide what to do. I'm with Red here, we should forget Sephiroth until we know what's up his ass and try to find Aeris' parents." He looked at the others, one by one. Red and Tifa nodded, and Cid lifted a thumb up. Aeris smiled and looked up at Barret.

"Thanks, everyone. I appreciate your help so much."

"Nothin' to it." Barret said back, smiling a little. "You're one of us, girl. Avalanche don't have the habit of leaving one of their own like that."

"So where do we go?" Tifa asked, pulling her gloves on.

"..." They all looked at each other.

"...damn."

"Cid, didn't you say that, five years ago, Sephiroth and his friends went to Nibelheim to find Hojo? That he had a laboratory there?" Red said after a quiet moment when no one could answer the fighter's question.

The pilot sat up and nodded. "Yeah, well that's that they told Shera an' me."

"And if they were heading there after Nibelheim had burned down, there's reason to think that the laboratory wasn't destroyed in the fire?" The red beast reasoned, looking in turn at Cid and Tifa.

"The only building that survived the fire completely was the Shin-Ra mansion. That's why everyone believes that it was them who burned Nibelheim." Tifa said, thinking back. They looked at each other for a moment and nodded.

"Shin-Ra mansion, Shin-Ra scientist... hell, even a kid could put those two together and get the right answer..." Cid muttered and got up from the bed. "Let's hit the road, then."

* * *

Elena still stared in awe five minutes after the silver-haired man's back had disappeared behind one of the numerous twists in the caves. "That... that was really him?" She whispered and turned to her companion. Rude nodded. The blonde ran back to the opening of the Mithril Mines and stared at the huge worm, a Midgar Zolom, which the legendary General had killed and speared with a tree trunk. "And he can do that?!"

Rude, having followed her, nodded again.

Elena whistled and shook her head. "Man, am I sorry I never got to see Sephiroth when he was still the General! I only joined not long before he disappeared in Nibelheim, I never had a chance to really see him in action. I mean I heard the stories but they were the kind of stories you really don't BELIEVE until you see for yourself! Now THIS?! Why couldn't we have come out and see what the noise was? We could have seen him gut that worm!"

"Elena." Rude said and the young woman fell silent. Rookies. They were all so enthusiastic, but they soon learned... well, he had never been that chirpy himself, and the kindest thing anyone could have said about Reno when the redhead had been a rookie was that he didn't manage to kill any of his instructors... but from those who had applied for Turks after Tseng's death, Elena had been the most mellow one. That was a scary thought. The kid who they had recruited soon after Tseng's death hadn't lasted three years, and was now hospitalized in Mideel. Apparently jelly was the most exciting thing he could take anymore.

Elena seemed like an airhead, but she knew the rules by heart, probably better than he or Reno, and if she survived the first few years she might just become a top Turk. Rude wished he would survive those years as well.

The woman was now fidgeting, biting her lips together to keep silent, although it was clear she wanted to say something. Rude nodded, giving her permission to speak.

"Do you really think the Avalanche are going to follow him? Pass by here?"

Rude shrugged. Damned Reno. The redhead could have come here and answered all these questions, but no, he had to go and get hurt. "...they want to find either Hojo or Sephiroth, they'll leave the Midgar area through here."

"Yes, of course. But how do we know they're after one of them? And which?" Elena continued, her voice echoing in the long, twisting caves. Hopefully Sephiroth wasn't listening close by.

"What else would they do?"

Elena thought for a second before starting to sort the facts out. "Ah, I see. They want Hojo for his prisoners, the girl's parents, or Sephiroth for... well, my guess is that they don't want the president getting him. Maybe they think they're working together. If they know that Sephiroth is Hojo's son, they'll probably believe that."

Rude's eyes went wide behind his sunglasses. "How do you know that?"

"Know what?"

"About Hojo and Sephiroth? That is highly classified information."

Elena shrugged and smirked. "I'm a woman. We know these kind of things."

"..." Rude just stared at her.

"Nothing gets past us."

"..." He wished he was back in Midgar.

"Women's intuition, see?"

"...nothing gets past you, huh?"

"Yeah! Why?"

Rude pointed towards the Avalanche group who were running over the marsh with chocobos. Elena jumped and reached for her gun, but the bald Turk put his hand on her shoulder and shook his head.

"Inside."

* * *

"Cid, you still have a bit of zolom on your shoulder..." Tifa noticed and hid her grin behind a hand when the pilot jumped and swore in disgust. They had made it over the marsh in one piece, except that they had lost one of the wild chocobos they had captured to cross it safely. The man at the farm had assured them that the zoloms couldn't catch a running chocobo, but one of the gigantic worms had jumped up right in front of them, when the opening to the Mithril Mines had been almost in sight. It had been a bloody and long battle, but they had managed to kill it.

"...bloody... son of a... godDAMNED!" Cid muttered as he picked the bloody bits off his jacket and nearly walked straight to Barret's back. "What the hell!" He exclaimed before he and Tifa saw what the three others were staring at.

Speared around a standing tree trunk was one of the zoloms, a huge one, bigger than the one they had battled. Blood still oozed from the long, clean cuts all over its slimy body.

"You don't think... it was Sephiroth?" Aeris asked quietly, walking closer to examine the cuts. Barret shuddered and turned away while Red followed the flower girl.

"They are sword cuts. If he is heading the same way, if he searches for Hojo as well... who else could it have been."

No one had to say the question out loud. Who else would be powerful enough to slay a monster like that alone. There were no signs of anyone else, no other injuries on the beast than the long cuts.

"How long ago?" Tifa asked, staying as far from the tree as possible while Cid lighted a cigarette with shaking hands.

"...not long. Maybe half an hour. No more than an hour in any case." Red said after a moment.

"So chances are he's still in the Mines?" Barret asked, eyeing the cave's opening, almost daring the General to step out of it.

"We won't know until we go in ourselves. He might have hurried on." Red answered and turned to walk towards the opening. Aeris shrugged and followed him, throwing a quick look at the others over her shoulder.

"Who wants to live forever..." Cid muttered and followed, Barret and Tifa at his heels.

The mines were cool, almost cold after the hot humidity of the marshes and the heat of the grasslands. There wasn't much light when they lost the sight of the opening behind them, but Red's fiery tail illuminated their path, and daylight streamed in here and there where the mountains opened or had holes in them. Monsters lurched behind boulders and behind the turns in the path, but they were easily defeated or scared away. Or already slaughtered by Sephiroth.

"He hasn't even bothered to stop to kill them, it's not likely that he's waiting for us" Red reasoned, sniffing and checking the corpses quickly.

"Well that's a relief..." Cid muttered and lifted his new spear, bought from Kalm, when a small rock tumbled down the wall not far from them. All of Avalanche looked up.

"...ooops." A blonde woman stood on top of the wall, on a path parallel to the one they were on. A bald man stood beside her, whom they soon recognized as one of the Turks. He seemed to be glaring at the woman through his dark sunglasses, but soon straightened his tie and turned to the rebels.

"...we meet again."

Cid swore as the others got ready to fight as well. "The amazin' Turks. And I thought this day couldn't get any better..."

"What are you doing here? Don't you have enough people to harass in Midgar anymore?" Tifa asked, flexing her fists. Behind her, Cid and Barret, Aeris and Red got ready to throw spells.

Elena frowned at them and leaned forward, doing her best to look intimidating. Beside her, Rude just stood still. "Our job is to find Sephiroth, and to keep you from our way!" She turned to Rude. "Was that right?"

"...Elena. You talk too much." The bald Turk muttered and stepped forward. "...Reno said he wanted to see you after the injuries you gave him are healed. He wants to show his affection for you all... with a new weapon."

"Gee, marbles... I didn't know you cared. And we wish to show him OUR affection by shovin' the weapon where the sun don't shine. Tell him that, if you survive us!" Cid answered back, trying to anger the man. Rude was unimpressed, but Elena almost jumped down to fight the blond. She would have, if Rude wouldn't have caught her shoulder.

"Elena. We're not here to fight." He nodded towards the Avalanche and started to walk away. "We will meet again."

"Damn it you're not getting away that easy!" Barret shouted and fired a round of bullets after them, but the Turks had already disappeared from sight. They soon noticed that the walls couldn't be climbed here, and when they'd manage to find a way up, the Turks would be long gone.

"Damn it!" Barret swore as they continued on. "We could have made them tell us where that bastard Hojo is... they must know..."

"...we'll find him. Let's go." Aeris said and started again on the path. She was disappointed she didn't know anything more about her parents, but was glad they hadn't fought the Turks.

Only monsters got in their way after that, dead and live ones, although they soon joined the dead. A few hours later they finally got out of the mines, on to the other side of the mountains that divided the Midgar area from the rest of the continent. There had been no sign of the Turks nor Sephiroth, save for the slain monsters.

They stopped at the cave's mouth for a small snack, and decided to continue for a few more hours before stopping for the night. Nibelheim was on the other continent, so they had decided to travel to Junon, from where they could catch a ship over the sea.

"But if we don't catch chocobos or get some other transport and soon, it'll be weeks before we're there..." Aeris calculated as they were getting ready to leave again. "Nibelheim seems so close on the map, but we can't cross the mountains, we have to go around them..."

"If we had my Tiny Bronco we'd be over that sea and the bloody mountains in no time!" Cid said and fell to thoughts of the small plane. He hadn't managed to fix it completely five years ago, and had been forced to leave it to the care of a weaponsmith close to Gongaga when Shin-Ra had gotten too curious about a certain captain Highwind and his whereabouts after the Nibelheim incident.

"If we do not find anything else earlier, I'll arrange for a transport from Cosmo Canyon for you." Red promised when no one else spoke, watching the sun that was starting to set in the western horizon. Somewhere there were all of their destinations, Junon, Cosmo Canyon and Nibelheim. So close on the map, but just now seeming out of reach.

"Thank you, Red." Aeris said and put a hand on his neck. None of them were afraid of the large beast anymore, he had proven to be a good and wise companion.

They had walked for almost an hour when the sky clouded over and darkened the whole world.

"Looks like it'll rain soon, we better find shelter..." Barret muttered and guided his Avalanche to a nearby forest. "We'll camp here for the night, leave bright and early. Tif', Aeris, you set the camp, Cid and Red, go get some grub. I'll check the area."

Everyone nodded, eager to get into the shelter when thunder crackled above their heads.

"Do you think Barret is all right? He's been so quiet lately." Aeris asked the other girl as they set up the tents.

Tifa shrugged. "I think he's just worried about Marlene. And we're all still shocked about what happened in Midgar. I can't understand how the president could do that, murder all those innocents just to get us."

"When a man like that has the power to rule over so many, the whole planet suffers. I just hoped Rufus would be a kinder man, but from what he said..." the flower girl shook her head and stepped away from the tent. Tifa did the same, and they looked at each other after a moment of observation.

"...we'll get it right after a few more nights out." Tifa eventually said.

"...we can hope so." Aeris answered, and they both started to laugh. The roar of thunder interrupted them soon, and they started to quickly put up the second one as the first drops of rain fell to the dry earth.

Cid and Red returned just after Barret did, carrying what they had managed to catch. The thunder had scared most of the animals into hiding, or at least that was Cid's excuse for the small supper. Still, it was filling, and after the long day no one had trouble falling asleep.

The next morning they were up before the sun, and traveling along the forest's edge. They hoped that they would reach Junon by tonight, or tomorrow morning the latest. Barret set up a hard pace, but no one complained, although Cid did curse his chain-smoking habit, when he had the breath to spare.

After noon they stopped for a quick meal. Barret and Red investigated the map while Aeris stared into the west.

Cid was just lighting a cigarette after finishing his share when Tifa came to sit beside him. For a moment the fighter sat in silence, frowning and obviously thinking of how to begin.

"Spit it out, girl..." Cid eventually said, grinning. Tifa smiled back and turned to face the pilot.

"Who was the woman?"

Cid frowned and turned to her. "What woman?"

"Back in Kalm... I just realized it last night. When you told us about Sephiroth, you talked about some blond kid, and his mother, who came from Nibelheim. I just wondered if I knew her. Nibelheim was a small town and a lot of people didn't survive the fire."

"Oh yeah, her..." Cid muttered and thought for a second. "Yeah, uh... I think her name was Strife. Ame Strife. Ring a bell?"

Tifa's face went blank and she blinked her red eyes a few times. "...are you sure?"

"Yeah, pretty sure. She might have been Jane, or something, but I'm sure of the last name. Strife. Kinda odd, sticks in the mind, ya know. Know her?"

"...yes. She used to be our next door neighbour." Tifa said slowly, looking confused and even disturbed. "But... you said, I mean, you talked about her son. Right?"

"Yeah. I think he was called Cloud. Not a name I'd choose for any son of mine." Cid grinned. The others weren't paying much attention to their conversation, and he wondered what was making the barmaid so nervous.

"And you're absolutely sure. You met him." Tifa asked, wanting to make sure she was understanding everything correctly.

Cid shrugged and pulled out a cigarette. "That's what I said. Saved his skinny ass from the Turks. Why?"

Tifa looked at him with an odd expression. "Cid, I knew Cloud. Not well, but we were neighbours. The thing is... he died. Must be seven years ago, at least. He was lost in the mountains, a monster killed him or he fell, I'm not sure. But he died. He couldn't be there five years ago. You must be mistaken."

Now Cid blinked a few times, the butt of the cigarette hanging from his mouth. "No way. Blonde kid, spiky hair and blue eyes? Looks just like his mom?"

"...that does sound like him. But I'm sure he died. He wasn't really popular around the town but everyone knew about it. His mother cried for weeks. Everyone helped her, brought her food and kept her company." Tifa said slowly. Cid shook his head and scratched his neck. Then he remembered something.

("...you are a monster... you aren't my son, you are a monster...")

"...oh hell. Now I remember. That's why she didn't come with us. She was convinced that he was a monster. The Turks had told her that, and after the kid killed that Tseng, she went nuts as well. Started to scream that the kid's not her son. They'd told her he was just a monster who had taken the kid's form, but she hadn't believed them, not until he killed the Turk. Yeah, that's right, she was saying he was just a monster who had killed the real Cloud in the mountains."

Tifa's red eyes went wide and she shook her head. "That's... that's horrible!"

"Hey, you don't really believe that shit, do ya? It's the Turks, after all, their job is to lie. But I dunno, the kid was kinda odd. But anyway, he was alive when I met him. Don't know about either the mother or the son, if they're alive now or not. Guess we'll never know."

"What the hell?!" Barret's shout interrupted their conversation, and the two turned to look at their leader who had stood up and looked wildly around. "Where the hell did my materia go?! I put them to the ground so I can clean my gun and now it's all gone!"

Tifa and Aeris got up and started to search the grassy ground. Cid just snorted and leaned back to watch the sky. Red sniffed the ground, looked up and jumped into the nearby bushes.

"When you gotta go you gotta go..." Cid muttered but sat up in a flash when they heard a shrill scream from where the beast had landed. The pilot jumped up and ran to the others who were just about to follow Red when a short girl ran from the forest, straight to Barret's chest. She bounced off and fell to the ground, materia flying all around. Red stuck his grinning face from the bushes.

"I found your materia, Barret."

The Avalanche gathered around the girl who was rubbing her head and starting to sit up. She squinted as she looked up. "Oh. Hello there."

"Who the hell are you and what were you doing with my materia?" Barret just about shouted, trying to scare the thief, but the girl just lifted an eyebrow and started to clean the dirt from her clothes. She was dressed in a green army tank top and light brown shorts, with strange pieces of armour strapped to her arms and legs.

"Who the hell are you to shout at a lady like that?! And to stand like some jerk so that people run into ya and hurt themselves! You could at least apologize!" She stood up and lifted a hand to her hip, staring up at Barret who was at least a foot or two taller.

The gun-armed man stared at the little girl and almost puffed with anger while Tifa and Aeris did their best to keep from smiling too widely. Cid chuckled and rested a hand on Red's shoulders.

"Well, Barret, you heard her. Apologize." The pilot said, grinning when the larger man glared at him.

"I won't apologize to no thief who just tried to take off with my materia!" He turned back to the girl. "Why the hell are you going around stealin' stuff from other people?"

"You wanna fight me, old man?" The thief said, standing on her toes, glaring at Barret. Now Cid and the girls did laugh, and Red shook his head.

"WHAT?! Me fight an ickle thing like you?! You're joking, girl! Now get the hell outta here before I'll kick yer ass all the way to Junon!" Barret roared into the girl's face, managing to intimidate her.

But not for long. "Aww you're just scared of me. Admit it, old man. You don't think you're any kind of match for me!"

Barret blinked a few times, an unreadable expression on his face, and lifted his human hand. "Git goin'!"

The girl jumped away just before the hand made contact with her behind and ran to a shouting distance from the large man and his laughing comrades.

"You can't fool yourself forever, old man! It just so happens that I'm headin' to Junon myself, whadda ya say I join you old folks and guard your achin' backs for you? For only two hundred gil a day!" She shouted when the Avalanche gathered their things and materia and started towards Junon.

"In your dreams, sugarmuffin'!" Cid shouted back, still laughing. The girl stomped her foot and made a rude gesture.

"Your loss, jerks!"

"Maybe she's afraid to travel alone..." Aeris suggested quietly to Barret who just made an angry sound and walked away faster. Cid followed the man, patting the flower girl on the shoulder.

"Maybe we should let her join us, at least until we get to Junon." Red said, walking after the pilot.

Aeris and Tifa took off last, but not before gesturing to the girl to follow them. She pretended for a moment that she didn't see them but soon ran to catch up with the other girls.

"I'm Yuffie! Good to meetcha!" She said with a wide, tomboyish grin and skipped alongside them. Aeris and Tifa introduced themselves.

"You're free to travel with us to Junon, but we won't pay you." Aeris said, smiling. Yuffie shrugged.

"Never mind. I just won't save your sorry asses when a monster attacks. You can beg for my help all you want, but no money, no help. That's the way it's gonna be. Your loss, like I said." She explained, smiling all along.

Yuffie proved to be a big help when they arrived in Junon the next morning, and they didn't even have to pay her.

They soon learned that the small town they arrived in was just a slum to the Shin-Ra town that rested above it, and no one but Shin-Ra personnel or someone who lived up there would get in easily. But the thief found an old entrance, built and used when the town had been built, and they managed to slip into the new town through it.

The tunnel's other end opened up in a storage room of the Soldier academy's Junon branch. The good news was it was full of spare uniforms, and the whole Avalanche, plus Yuffie, disguised themselves as normal troopers of the Shin-Ra army, figuring that they'd attract less attention.

"This... is most uncomfortable..." Red muttered as he did his best to stand on two legs to look like a human. The helmet's visor hid his canine face, but the long tail and its fiery tip kind of gave the disguise away.

"Don't worry, Red, you look just like a human." Aeris said and turned away, trying not to laugh as the beast wobbled and set his front paws on Cid's shoulders, trying to stay standing. He looked more convincing than the pilot did, considering that Cid looked as scruffy in the uniform as Reno did with his suit. Tifa mentioned the resemblance, making the blond swear.

"The difference between me and that numbskull is that I make this Shin-Ra shit look good."

"Don't bet on it..." Yuffie muttered, peeking out of the door. "The coast is clear, move your old asses, people!"

Once they got out of the storage area they could hear loud music coming from outside. Trying to blend into the crowd of Soldiers and troopers running around, they soon found out that Rufus Shin-Ra was in town. The new president would greet the troops and head off over the sea. Hearing that seemed to confirm the Avalanche's path.

"If he's gonna cross the ocean, it's sure that whatever's gonna happen is gonna happen there." Barret muttered, thinking of how he could get a chance to pay his respects to the president.

"Maybe he's going to meet Hojo..." Aeris thought aloud.

"Maybe Sephiroth has crossed the ocean as well..." Tifa reasoned.

Cid poked them in the back with the butt of his spear. "Whatever the reason, we gotta get on the same boat, we don't want to lose time thinkin' about it. Move it."

"Yeah, what the old geezer said." Yuffie whispered and snuck out to the street. The others followed her, joining the people who had come to see Rufus Shin-Ra. A commander gave them orders to join the parade, but the group took off as soon as the man's attention was off them. They visited a few shops, got some more potions and new weapons, and followed the groups of people to the harbour.

Rufus was just watching the military's send off routine with Heidigger, which gave the Avalanche a golden opportunity to slip into the ship's cargo hold just before it closed.

The ship took off not twenty minutes after that, and the small group got ready to play their parts as Shin-Ra troopers, so that they could walk around the ship without raising suspicions.

"This is it. There ain't getting off this train we're on anymore. We'll reach the new continent, even if we're dressed as the enemy..." Barret said as they all watched the eastern continent disappear into the horizon.

* * *

A.N: petting a bruised Zax's hair: "There, you were mentioned. Happy?"

Zax growls.

"Aww don't be so grumpy... whaddaya say we make Seph strip in the next chapter, if we get reviews?"

The Soldier transforms into Mr. Sunshine. "Yeah baby!"


	22. 2, Chapter Four

It's the sea-/roadtrip chapter! Don't own anyone or anything.

* * *

**Chapter four: It's easier to obey than think for yourself.**

-

Sephiroth cursed the pouring rain and threw the cabin's door open so that if anyone was inside they'd think it was the wind's doing. But the small room was empty, and he stepped in, closing and locking the door behind himself. With a sigh of relief he let go of the spell and became visible again.

He could have just teleported over the sea, or back to the Crater, but he was enjoying watching his puppets too much. And he was curious of what Rufus wanted with him. They were all on this same ship, going over the sea.

The cabin had no windows and he was certain that the door was properly locked, so Sephiroth shrugged out of his drenched trench coat and hung it on the back of a chair to dry a little. That was the downside of wearing heavy leather clothing. If they got wet, they took more than five minutes in the sun to dry.

Searching the room for a towel, he wondered what he should do next with the Avalanche. They were after Hojo for now, wanting to find the flower girl's parents. Sephiroth knew for certain that Hojo had taken them to Nibelheim. He had been happily surprised to hear that the Avalanche had come to the same conclusion; it saved him the trouble of thinking how to get them to find Hojo. The puppet the scientist had made for them was ready; the creepy man was of no use to him or Jenova anymore. The Avalanche could have him, and he'd enjoy watching it.

Finally he found a towel from the cabin's small cupboard, and started to dry his hair. He sat on the small bed and frowned when he realized that the heavy rainfall and hard wind had managed to wet most of his trousers as well. Wrapping up most of his hair in the towel, he got up and started to undress completely. Off came the long boots and the heavy belt. Why did he even bother to wear that anymore, it was a general's belt, a mark of his position in the Shin-Ra army of which he had no connection to anymore. Still, he hung it and the boots over the same chair as his jacket, hoping that they'd dry at least a little before he'd have to leave the cabin. A controlled fire spell might help them dry, but these things were always so difficult, the spells fickle. Even if he'd manage to control the spell, which he knew he could, it could just jump out of his hands and burn the whole room.

Then the wet trousers. Looking around, just to make absolutely sure that no one was around, Sephiroth slipped out of them, leaving himself completely naked. He pulled the blanket off from the bed and spread the pants on the mattress, wrapping the blanket around his waist. Just in case.

At a loss of what to do next, he looked around in the small cabin. Beside the bed and the small desk and the chair, there was only the cupboard and a painting and a long mirror on the walls. Sephiroth walked over to the painting, leaving behind him a trail of water which dripped from the tips of his hair. Few towels were large enough to host all of his long locks.

The painting was actually just a framed poster, a picture of the Junon cannon at sunrise, taken from an angle to make the sky burn in brilliant colours behind the obviously phallic weapon. It really made the cannon seem just as powerful as he knew it to be, and Sephiroth wondered with amusement if it would ever be used against him. When the world would realize his and Jenova's plans for it, the humans would do their best to stop them, just to preserve their pathetic way of life and existence. They wouldn't be able to see how much better the Planet was without their race which just sucked it dry and abused it as much as they could. He snorted at the picture, actually wishing that they'd use the weapon against him. Let them see that nothing that they could produce would be strong enough to harm the rightful rulers of this small globe. Turning away, his glowing eyes happened to glance into the mirror, and Sephiroth froze, barely recognizing himself.

It wasn't that he had changed that much in the past years... the lack of training and sparring had thinned him some as his muscles had grown smaller, and he was paler than ever from the complete lack of sunlight. He had never tanned so that many people had even noticed, but now he was white as chalk. Almost blue. Just like her. It made him shudder and concentrate on something else. Sephiroth looked up and stared straight into his Mako-green, feline eyes. They stared back with the same intensity he'd always known, but now there was more than a hint of rage and madness in them as well. The rage was justified, but the madness worried him a bit. Why? If this was what he was supposed to be, what he was, why was it making him crazy like this?

Because, in madness, there is clarity. Jenova had said so, sometime in the last five years, when he had thought of the matter the last time. She had convinced him that if he tried to stay what humans considered sane, he would stay human, he would never reach his heritance as what he truly was, and he could never understand the full meaning of it all, the whole effect of their plan. It was for his own good. Sephiroth had accepted it then, and now, too, although with a bit more reluctance.

Lifting his hands, he released his long, silvery hair from the towel and shook his head so that it all flowed down his shoulders and all the way to his hips. Even below his hips. It had grown a lot but he hadn't realized it. Had he really spent five years in the Crater, away from the rest of the world? One hand slipped down and let the towel fall to the floor. Five years... he was still the same, in body, but the man who stared at him from the mirror, completely naked and open, was not who he had expected to see. Sephiroth frowned and shook his head sharply.

"People change... I have changed, that's all. I haven't seen myself in a mirror in five years, it's normal that I don't..." he was breathing heavily now, avoiding his own, mirrored eyes.

The man he had expected to see had always taken pride in his strength of mind, the fact that he had lived through hell but survived it, that he was still sane. Sane as people measured it, the memory of Jenova's voice whispered, but had very little effect on him. Sephiroth remembered when he had looked into a mirror and seen a strong, independent man who had known his mind and controlled his life without asking for advice at every turn. A man who had had friends, only a few but true friends, in whom he could trust and who could trust him. Where were they now? Tseng was dead, murdered five years ago. He could have saved the Turk, if he had come in just a minute earlier. If he hadn't been wallowing in self pity up in the rocket. If he wouldn't have listened to her. Zackery... the Soldier had lived, even though Hojo had wounded him severely and spent the last years toying with the man. But that wouldn't have had to happen. He could have killed the scientist and taken Zackery away, healed him... or he could have gone to the laboratory at any time and free his only friend. But for her, he would still be who he had always been.

/A puppet. You were just a puppet to those HUMANS, my son. I forgive you your doubt in me, in yourself and all we stand for, but I will not tolerate it further. Do what you must and return here./

Her voice entered his mind like a knife, leaving in him the clear command and strengthening the hold she had on him. Strengthening his belief in what he was doing. Sephiroth raised his head and looked into the mirror, straight into the eyes, and smirked. His right arm rose, quick as a snake, and his fist shattered the mirror into thousands of shards. Seven years of bad luck... this world didn't have seven years!

Blood trickled from the numerous cuts across his knuckles but Sephiroth didn't mind. He looked down at the shards, seeing pieces of his face in them, and threw his head back, bursting into laughter. What did any of it matter?

Even though his own laughter filled the room, his keen ears still caught the sound of the door unlocking, and the ex-general whirled around just in time to see the tired look disappear from the marine officer's face, only to be replaced by utter confusion and then fear.

"Who the hell--" the man started, reaching for his gun. But then Masamune was already in Sephiroth's hand and in the next heartbeat it went through the officer. The man died without a noise, falling to the floor. The still naked Sephiroth closed the door again and stood very still for a second, until a very unmanly giggle escaped his lips. What did his sanity matter in a world that was this mad?

* * *

Barret stood outside the large windows, out of sight of the two on the other side, but where he could see them. For on the other side stood Rufus Shin-Ra and Heidegger, talking. He couldn't hear their words but that didn't matter, he knew they were up to no good. The fingers on his human hand curled into a hard fist, but he couldn't release his anger without being noticed.

The rest of Avalanche were somewhere on the ship, still disguised as Shin-Ra troopers. Barret could see Red from where he was standing, the beast was above the room Shin-Ra was in, doing his best to pass as a human. Tifa and Aeris were on the deck, Cid was having a smoke in the bow, and he suspected that Yuffie was still below decks, busy being seasick. Barret hadn't objected anymore to the young ninja traveling with them, but he wasn't too happy about it either. The girl was a thief, how could they trust her? For all they knew she might be a spy, sent by Shin-Ra to watch them.

The sight of Heidegger laughing so that his stomach wobbled made Barret growl and strike his own leg with his fist. He would have preferred to hit the window, or either of the two men, but had resigned to waiting at least until they reached the other continent. But he grew so angry, watching them while knowing what they had done. Raping the Planet, collapsing the pillar... Wedge, Biggs and Jessie, all dead because of them... the people in the slums... his own daughter, without a home... he was shaking with rage, almost ready to break his promise, when a loud siren started to wail aboard the ship.

"Emergency alert! Reports of a stowaway found! Those not on detail, search the ship. Report when found! I repeat... Stowaway sighted on board! Those not on detail, search the ship. Report when found!"

Barret swore, thinking that one of them had been found, and started to run towards the deck itself, ready to fight. But once he arrived there he saw the rest of Avalanche, all gathered. Even Yuffie had climbed up. A few sailors ran around but they paid the small group no attention.

"What the hell's happening? I thought one of you had been caught!" Barret said, looking at each of them in turn. Everyone either shrugged or shook their head.

"All I know that a lot of them ran pretty damn fast below decks, so I thought I'd better get out of there..." Yuffie muttered, looking slightly green.

"So the action is down there... I'm checking it out, who's with me?" He checked his gun arm while the others looked at each other.

"No way I'm coming..." Yuffie muttered and dashed towards the railing. Cid laughed at her and threw off the uniform's helmet.

"About time I got that off... I'm with ya, big guy..."

Red had already scratched most of his uniform to shreds after the alarm and nodded. "I as well."

"Fine. Tif' and Aeris, you stay here and take care of any trouble. We'll check what's going on." Barret said and motioned for Cid and Red to follow.

Even from the top of the stairs they could tell that something was definitely not right here. When they got to the bottom they had already spotted most of the bodies that littered the floor, washing it with blood. Red jumped the last ten stairs and ran to one of the men who was still alive.

"He sayin' anything?" Barret called over to the large best while he and Cid checked the back of the cargo hold.

"Apparently whoever is behind this is not human, and headed towards the engine room. This man is dead. I suggest we check the engine room." Red called back and waited until the men came to his side.

"The rest are dead as well. Do we go in?" Cid said, pointing with his spear at the thick door which lead to the engine room.

"Any better ideas? Let's go." Barret didn't wait for an answer, because there really wasn't other possibilities. They checked their weapons one more time and pushed aside the heavy metal door.

* * *

Sephiroth pulled the Masamune out of the unfortunate commander and watched the man fall slowly first to his knees and then on his face, blood mixing with the red of his uniform. He had thought that this man was the last of his opponents, so seeing the two men and the large beast standing by the door surprised him slightly. But he was in control of the situation in the next second when he recognized captain Highwind, the leader of Avalanche and the red creature they had freed from Hojo's clutches. A small smirk appeared on his lips.

She had been in his mind since he'd killed the first man in the cabin. He had forgotten all caution and used the fire spell to get most of the humidity from his clothes and gotten dressed. He had just got ready to leave the cabin when the door had opened again, and another officer had stumbled upon him and the corpse on the floor. Unfortunately this one had carried a whistle and had sounded an alarm with it before he had managed to kill the man. The sirens had started the next minute, and he had headed towards here. She had enjoyed the blood he'd spilled, and was still laughing at the carnage.

"...shit. Sephiroth?" Highwind said, looking very pale.

The ex-general grinned and casually wiped his sword clean on the back of the corpse's jacket. "Yes, captain Highwind."

The leader of the rebels swore and lifted his gun arm. "You crazy son of a bitch, why did you kill these people?!"

"Idiot, don't anger him!" Highwind hissed, making Sephiroth laugh. It amused him even more to see how they cowered from him.

"Don't worry, captain, I'm not here to hurt you... in fact, I do believe I can help you some."

"Help us? How?" The beast was clearly skeptical, but curious, and far calmer than the humans. Sephiroth wondered what would have happened if his kind had become the dominant species of the Planet, in stead of humans.

"You search for Hojo, correct?" He waited for them to nod in answer. "As you had reasoned, he is in Nibelheim. I suspect he will stay there for a while, until he can get his... experiments started."

The gun-armed man swore and struck the wall with his human hand. "Damn it!"

"Yes... if you hurry, you can catch him there. Before he has a chance to hurt the woman or Gast too severely."

"Great, thanks... but we already know that. Any other helpful tips to offer?" The captain said, clutching his spear nervously.

"Bring strong materia. His assistants have grown in number and strength, it won't be an easy battle. And stay out of my way. You can kill Hojo, or judge him or whatever you wish."

"Okay... what are you up to then?"

He ignored the blond's question for a moment, listening in turn to her voice. "I? I am fulfilling my destiny..."

The nervous, unsure looks on their faces amused him, but it was time to leave. Jenova whispered words in his mind, and Sephiroth spoke them out loud as a farewell.

"...After a long sleep... the time... time has... come..."

He called out his magic and started to teleport out of the ship, watching as the three started towards him. No sense in letting them catch him now.

"...The time... is now..." he dropped one of his powerful summons to the floor, hoping that they would use it against Hojo. The professor rarely forgot anything, especially that his favourite summon had always been Ramuh, the god of lightning, so even if Sephiroth wasn't there to see the man fall, he'd know that Hojo got his message.

* * *

"Shit!" Cid screamed as Sephiroth disappeared from before them. Barret banged the wall again while Red wandered to there the General had been, and poked at the summon with his paw, recognizing its strength.

"So what the hell is goin' on? He with us or against us?!" The leader of Avalanche growled when Red walked back, the summon held carefully between his teeth. He dropped it to the men's feet and looked up.

"From this evidence, I would gather that he's not against us. But I doubt that he's with us, either."

"...shit..." Cid muttered again as he crouched down and picked up the summon.

"Dock workers-- We will be docking in Costa del Sol in 5 minutes. Prepare for docking." Came the tannoy.

"Damn. We better hide again until we're there. Let's get outta here..." Barret commanded and they took off, careful not to let anyone see them anymore as the ship got ready to pull into port.

* * *

"We don't NEED any more fuckin' company!" Barret roared in the cat's face. The small toy robot closed its eyes and pulled its ears against its head. The rest of Avalanche decided that the walls of the Gold Saucer's entrance room were very interesting.

From Costa del Sol they had managed to hitch a ride almost to North Corel, where they hadn't received a warm welcome. Actually, they had almost been thrown out of the small mining town, and had hurried through it to the ropeway which had taken them to the amusement center. During the ride Barret, whose hometown North Corel had been, had told the others his tale, how Shin-Ra had come to their town to build a reactor and how he, along with most of the town, had thought it a good idea. Only his old friend Dyne had opposed, but Barret had managed to talk him around. The reactor had been built, and all had seemed well until one day Shin-Ra had attacked the small town and burned it to the ground. Those who had survived and stayed now lived in shacks and old mines. He had been the one they had blamed.

So Barret had not been in a good mood when they had reached Gold Saucer, or when they had decided to rest for a while and maybe even have some fun. He had gone to vent his anger in the Battle arena while Yuffie and Cid had just about stormed the Chocobo races. Red had decided to take a tour of the place while Tifa and Aeris had gone to visit the Wonder Square and had returned at the prearranged time with a stuffed moogle which had a small black and white cat sitting atop of it. A cat which had read them their fortune and decided to hang along to see if it would come true.

"We have enough trouble getting a ride for the six of us!" Barret still roared, but his words made the cat sit up and open its eyes.

"You need a ride? No problem! I work here, I can get you one of the buggies we have here. They're excellent for off-road driving, since there aren't that many roads over here."

Barret was about to swear but closed his mouth, glancing over at the others. With a car they could reach Nibelheim in a matter of days.

"For free?" The cat added, and Barret's shoulders sagged.

"Fine, cat, you're in. Where's the car?"

* * *

Back on the other continent, Reeve sighed and sat back in his chair. He was in. First part completed. Now he'd just have to make sure that Cait Sith would stay with the Avalanche...

With a groan he looked at his wrist watch, wondering if it was safe already to leave the headquarters. Ever since that one faithful day five years ago, he had been terrified to use the elevators unless he was sure that Scarlet was not in the building. And since the president had died, the whole building had acquired a haunted feeling. The chillness that had come over them all the night it happened, when they had stood in the president's office still made the executives nervous, and none of them wished to stay in the building after normal work hours. Maybe it would be safe to leave already...

He packed his papers into his briefcase, and the controls for Cait Sith in his pocket. The robot, as well as the Avalanche, were now sitting in a car, so there was no reason for the small cat to move. But Reeve still kept his earplug and microphone on, in case someone talked to the cat. Mostly it was the girls who even noticed the fortune teller. Highwind seemed completely indifferent, and the beast just glanced at the robot every now and then, like he was thinking who was behind the controls. And even with so many miles between them, Reeve could sense the chillness the leader of the group aimed at the cat, not trusting it one bit. Well, he was right in that...

Peeking out to make sure there was no red-clad man-eaters in sight, Reeve slipped out of his office and towards the elevator. The hallway was blessedly empty and remained so for the time it took the elevator to come up to his floor. The executive stepped in and leaned against the glass wall with a relieved sigh. One more day almost done, and he had survived it.

Then the elevator stopped, the doors opened, and

"Well hello handsome... going down?" Scarlet said after a moment of the two staring at each other. The woman smiled and stepped in, carrying her own briefcase. Reeve swallowed and did his best to answer her smile. 'Oh man...'

* * *

"NOOOooooo!" Cait Sith, sitting in the open trunk, suddenly screamed and flapped its paws like a bird ready to take to the air. Barret almost drew the buggy to a large boulder and the rest of them jumped with fright or woke up. Or both.

"For fuck's sake some of us are tryin' to SLEEP!" Cid screamed, his heart racing, and reached over from the backseat to bat at the cat with his hand. "What the hell's wrong with you?!"

"Sorry!" The cat squeaked and turned itself off. Cid blinked and poked at it for a moment.

"Shit. I broke it."

"...no such luck..." Barret muttered.

* * *

They arrived at a small town called Gongaga after the sun had risen the next morning. They had driven all night, Barret and Cid taking turns at the wheel. Cait Sith had not made another sound the rest of the night, but just before they stopped outside the town the cat lifted his head and smiled, wishing them all a good morning.

"What were you screaming last night? Did you have a nightmare?" Aeris asked the cat as they got out of the car. She had meant it as a joke, thinking that a robot wouldn't dream, but Cait nodded vigorously, almost falling off the moogle.

"Yeah, a very scary dream, believe me. I don't want to talk about it." The little cat coughed into its paw and looked around. "Gongaga? Wow, I haven't seen it since the reactor exploded..."

"You've been here before?" Tifa asked.

"Yeah, sure. I've been to lots of places!"

"Wha', before making a career in the fortune-telling industry?" Yuffie asked, holding back her laughter.

Cait just nodded seriously. "Yup. I like traveling." The moogle took off after Barret and Cid, leaving the girls standing and looking at each other curiously.

"What?" Yuffie asked, scratching her neck. The other two shrugged.

"I suggest you follow them soon. There are monsters about." Red said, leaning out from the buggy. He had volunteered to stay back and take care of the car. The girls waved him goodbye and followed Barret and Cid.

Since it wasn't far from Gongaga, Cid insisted that they visit the weaponsmith who was looking after his Tiny Bronco. It only delayed them for a few hours so the rest eventually agreed, mostly because Cid wouldn't shut up about it until they did.

The small plane was as he had left it, and even if it would have taken them to Nibelheim faster than any car, it would have still required so many repairs that the car ended up being much faster.

"Hurry it up, old man!" Yuffie called when Cid was saying a fond farewell to the small airplane. She and Cait were already sitting in the car while the others stretched their legs or talked with the weaponsmith. The robot cat had been quiet for a long while now, but it still watched them.

* * *

Reeve shook his head, wishing he could apologize for what would happen. But Avalanche were far in the other continent, and if Cait would suddenly start apologizing the group would become even more suspicious. No, better that they didn't know.

The cat remained quiet as the executive watched the group get back into the car and start towards Cosmo Canyon.

* * *

"Shee-it! What do you mean it broke?!" Barret roared and got out of the small buggy. The rest followed him, actually happy for being able to get out of the small vehicle.

Cid stuck his head out from under the hood and shook his head. "What I just said. B r o k e n. And we'll need spare parts for it, too. Shit."

"My home is right here, you can get the things you need from there." Red said, turning to look up at a strange looking little town in the middle of the rocks. The others followed his eye, surprised to see the place.

"Damn..." Barret muttered, uncharacteristically quiet. "That's... Cosmo Canyon, right?"

"Yes," Red said, "and..." the great beast turned his head suddenly, his ears turning as well. Yuffie looked around, worried, as they all recognized the signs that Red had heard something. "Someone's here... friend or foe, I don't know."

They all got their weapons ready, just in case it was a monster. Red kept sniffing the air and turning his head, figuring out where the sound was coming from.

Soon they could all hear whistling, coming not far from the direction they had been heading. Ready to fight, they all turned to see who would come around the corner. The whistling grew louder and sounded carefree, a silly little tune which carried with the wind just before the stranger.

"Stop right there!" Barret roared with such authority that everyone twitched. The stranger froze just as he had stepped into their sights, looking surprised but ready to fight the next second. He was tall and thin, but muscular, and tanned, with a long, almost black mane of spiky hair tied to a messy ponytail in the neck. Violet eyes glowed slightly in the darkening afternoon.

"Oh for fuck's sake..." Cid muttered after a quiet moment and lowered his spear to pull a cigarette from his goggles and light it. "You?!"

The man turned his eyes from Barret, saw the pilot and smiled a big, toothy grin. "Highwind!"

Everyone relaxed a little as the stranger took a few steps closer to clasp hands with Cid, but the pilot suddenly raised his spear to point at the man's chest. Dark brows met in a frown as the man looked down at the spear and then up at Cid.

"What? Cid?"

"Not so fast, buddy... is that General of your nearby by any chance?" Cid asked. The others had relaxed when he had recognized the stranger, but grew wary again at the mention of Sephiroth.

The man stepped back a step and grew serious. "Seph? No, I haven't seen him in five years. We... got separated a few days after we left you guys. Hey, where's Shera?"

"Never mind that now..." Cid muttered and lowered his spear again. Turning to his friends, he poked a thumb in the stranger's direction. "This is Zax, the Soldier-boy I told you about. Friends with the great fucking Sephiroth."

Zax was clearly going to say something, but Tifa cut him off.

"I remember you! You were with him, when Nibelheim burned down!" The fighter took a step closer and pointed an accusing finger at the Soldier. "You bastards burned my hometown and killed my father!"

"Woah!" Zax lifted his hands and took another step back as most of the group glared at him angrily. Cid just shrugged. "First of all, we did no such thing! One of Hojo's monsters burned the place down, I was busy saving... a friend, and Seph was busy dodging bullets from Hojo's goons. It was Hojo and Shin-Ra, it had nothing to do with Seph and me. They actually set a trap for him, they wanted him for something. Look, this is all really complicated and stuff, and I should be getting back home already, and..." his wandering, violet eyes landed on Red, and the man frowned, his tanned face wrinkling a bit. "...are you... Nanaki?"

"Yes." Red nodded and smiled. "And your home must be Cosmo Canyon."

"Yep." Zax said and bowed a bit, smiling again. "I've heard so much about you. Everyone's missed you a lot. I bet they'll be overjoyed to see your furry little face again!"

Red looked a bit perplexed at the comment while Aeris hid her smile behind a hand. Friend of Sephiroth's or not, this man seemed nice enough. Cid rolled his eyes and slammed the car's hood closed with the butt of his spear.

"Okay then, let's go to Cosmo Canyon!"

* * *

Reno threw the butt of his cigarette away and watched the light coming from the few windows of the small, sleeping town. Compared to this place, Kalm was a metropolis. A small nowheresville of which no one knew about. Should have been a safe place to hide. But no one could escape the Turks.

Gesturing with his hand slightly, he ordered the three troopers to go in to town. They moved almost silently, only their heavy boots making noise on the cobblestones. The Turk followed them into the small town square and guided the men to the smallest of the six houses around it.

He waited outside while the troopers broke in and quickly captured the woman and the girl.

The new president saw this as a bargaining chip, in case the Avalanche became a bother. For Reno, this was just revenge. Revenge for Tseng, and for the injuries he had received in Sector 7. He smiled wickedly when the woman recognized him from Rocket Town and shivered, holding the scared child even tighter as the troopers roughly guided them towards the waiting vehicle. Reno reached into the house and pulled the door shut. Mission accomplished.

* * *

A.N. Moogle, mog, I can't remember which it is...

Zax: "Woot! I'm in! Yea!"

Sulkin' Sephiroth: "That was degrading and you shall suffer for it."

Me: "Ooh I'm so scared." -is hit in the head with a huge writer's block.- "Ow!"

Smirkin' Sephiroth : "Told you."


	23. 2, Chapter Five

Na no da... I've been watching too much anime lately... too damn hot to do anything else...

Don't own them, and if I did, you probably wouldn't want to know what would happen to them... ;) Already apologizing for the insanity at the end.

* * *

**Chapter five: Cosmo Canyon.**

-

"Hello Zax! We were expecting you a lot sooner! Who've you brought... what... NANAKI! You're back!"

The thrilled guard stepped away from the gate to let the great beast walk straight in to Cosmo Canyon. Red stopped and gave them his widest smile while Zax walked in as well. The guard was clearly happy to see Nanaki again, but not distracted enough not to block the way from the rest.

"They helped me some on my way here, please let them in." Red said while he looked up expectantly. The guard nodded and smiled.

"Go on, Bugenhagen's probably waiting for you already!"

Red was off like a bullet while the rest were allowed to pass through.

"It's pretty full here right now, but since you're Nanaki's friends..."

"Who's... Nanaki?" Tifa asked while Barret stared up in awe, Cait Sith watched the people, Yuffie eyed the small stalls and Cid and Zax threw each other curious looks. Aeris wandered through the gate, marveling at the tower-like hill that held the houses of the people who lived here.

The guard just shrugged. "Nanaki is Nanaki. It's his name."

Seeing that that was the only answer they'd get, the small group moved away from the gate. Zax guided them to the middle of the large plateau, where a fire was burning. They sat down around it and turned to stare at the Soldier. He unstrapped a huge sword from his back and sat down as well, rubbing his shoulder. He was dressed in army boots, green trousers that ended halfway down his calf and a navy blue, sleeveless turtleneck. He let his eyes wander all over the small group before resting them on the fire.

"Bugenhagen is the... well, kind of the head of Cosmo Canyon. He who knows the most here of the Planet and life on it. I'd heard of his... grandson, Nanaki, that he had disappeared a few years ago. I think everyone's missed him." He fell quiet for a second and pointed at the fire. "This is the Cosmo Candle. It burns all the time."

Cid waved a hand. "Forget local history, how the hell did you end up here?"

"Forget THAT, how do you guys know each other?" Yuffie interrupted them, glaring at the Soldier. "Aren't you the same guy who fought in Wutai with that Sephiroth-dude?"

Zax laughed, coughed and almost choked at hearing the words Sephiroth and dude in the same sentence, but nodded anyway. He recognized the girl as Wutaian, and was glad when she said no more of it, seeming content for now just knowing who he was. "Yeah, that's me. And as for your first question, Highwind saved my ass soon after Nibelheim burned down."

"Yeah, you and that crazy blond's. What happened to him?" Cid asked, lighting a cigarette. He had almost leaned over to light it from the Candle but figured that it might be a bad idea. Remembering what Tifa had told him of the boy, he was curious to see him again.

"...later, okay?" Zax said after a quiet moment. He squared his shoulders and continued. "Seph was still with us then. We left you and Shera back in that little town, then headed back to Nibelheim to take care of Hojo.

"It went bad. Really, really bad. It's not something I like to think about, so... it went bad. Seph disappeared, I was shot and Cloudy... well anyway, Hojo kept us as his guinea pigs for a few years, until we escaped, and we've been living here for a few months now." Before Cid could ask any more questions, the Soldier asked his own. "So what happened to you and Shera?"

The pilot shrugged and took a long drag from his cigarette. "We eventually ended up in Midgar, and got tangled up with these guys. Fightin' Shin-Ra and all that."

"Fighting Shin-Ra?!" Zax seemed more lively now when he wasn't talking about his own past anymore.

Cid nodded. "Yup."

"We're the Avalanche." Barret said and pointed at his chest with his human hand. "Fighting Shin-Ra and corruption."

"That's cool. Wish I would have been there..." Zax said and winked at the gun armed man. "I know Cid, and you're Tifa, but who are the rest of you?"

"I'm Cait Sith, a fortune-telling machine from the Gold Saucer!" The robot cat exclaimed and waved his paw. Zax blinked a few times before waving back.

"Yuffie Kisaragi from Wutai." Yuffie said, still eyeing the Soldier menacingly.

"Aeris Gainsborough." Aeris said with a smile, but didn't say more.

"Barret Wallace, leader of Avalanche. Or what's left of us... Biggs... Wedge... Jessie... I promised them I'd take them here, where the Avalanche was formed, when we're done with Shin-Ra. Looks like that'll never happen." Barret's mood fell and he turned to stare at the fire.

Everyone fell silent, not knowing what to say.

It was Red who broke the silence. The great beast stepped into the ring of light and greeted his friends.

"Would you come with me? Grandfather would like to talk with you all."

They all stood up and started to follow him, except for Zax. "I better head home now, catch you guys later!" The Soldier said, getting up, but Red turned to him.

"Would you mind waiting a moment longer? I'll be right back, and I'd like to talk with you."

Zax shrugged. "Sure. I'll just check that home's still standing, I'll meet you here in a minute."

The red beast nodded and started to guide Avalanche up the stairs, all the way to the top of the hill where an observatory stood. A few minutes later, coming back down, he could see the Soldier returning to the Candle.

"Bugenhagen's giving them the lecture?" Zax asked when Red joined him, and they sat down.

The beast nodded, looking curiously at the Soldier. "Yes. You've been to his observatory?"

"Sure. Well, living here, you can't miss what's going on. Before I started hunting the monsters around here I spent a few days catching up with things... he told me a lot of interesting stuff."

"Where do you come from? I don't mean to be rude, but I am suspicious with your apparent connection with Shin-Ra." Red said, watching the Soldier.

Zax just chuckled and shook his head. "I understand. But there's nothing to worry about, I've nothing to do with Shin-Ra anymore. I spent the last five years in hell thanks to them, and lost people who meant the world to me. Damn, if the old man Shin-Ra were in front of me now I'd probably run him through. Is it true what I heard? Someone beat me to it?"

"Yes. Apparently that someone was Sephiroth." Red muttered, watching the man's reaction closely. If this Zax was really a close friend of the great General, maybe he could understand the man's mind.

The Soldier's violet eyes grew wide and he blinked a few times before his face settled to a nervous but wide grin. "You know, I always figured he'd end up doing that..." he leaned back and shook his head. "He's still alive then. I didn't know, for sure... it's been five years since we last saw each other. Have you seen him?"

"Yes, on the ship from Junon to Costa del Sol. He had murdered several of the seamen and Shin-Ra guards aboard, but said he'd help us with our quest. I was hoping you could tell me whether we can trust him or not."

Zax fell silent and stared at the fire. "Before, I would have told you straight away that you can trust him with anything. Now... I don't know if you know of anything that happened five years ago, but he... changed. I haven't seen him since then, I've no idea what he's like now. I would trust him, I've trusted him for so long that I can't, no, I won't believe that he could hurt me, but I don't know about you. I mean, I don't know what he wants of you?"

"Neither do we. Thank you anyway."

"Hey, no problem. Don't know if I was much help, but... anything I can do, just ask. But now I really should head home. If you need me, ask anyone, they'll tell you where I live." Zax got up and waved a hand before leaving the ring of light.

Red laid his head on his front paws and sighed, staring at the fire. The Soldier hadn't really helped much, and probably couldn't, not unless he knew more of Avalanche's quest to find Hojo. But telling him more about that was not for him to decide. This was the end of his journey, he was home. Still, he felt like he should do something more, that he couldn't just sit here while the group did their best to save the world.

Red greeted his friends about half an hour later when they returned to the Candle. "How was it?"

"That was something..." Yuffie muttered, her grey eyes wide. Cid nodded and lighted a cigarette. They had all heard Bugenhagen's words of how the spirit energy gave life to everything, and how Shin-Ra was draining it, and were wondering how serious this little adventure was turning. Barret had talked about saving the planet, but Cid had never believed that it would go any further than blowing up the reactors and other ways of harassing Shin-Ra. But if they were really sucking away the life energy of the planet, this was far more serious than just mere pollution. The pilot started to think that he was in way over his head, but found that he didn't want to turn back now. If there was something he could do to help the planet, he would. And he suspected that the others felt the same way.

Everyone was quiet, thinking about what they'd seen and heard. Aeris seemed sadder than before. They hadn't all seen Bugenhagen at once, and while half of the group had been with him she had been talking with the other elders. They had told her a lot about what they knew of her race and the Promised Land. Mostly things that her mother had already told her, but their words had confirmed what Ifalna had feared. They were really the last ones. There were no more Cetra on the Planet. And if Hojo managed to kill Ifalna, she'd be all alone.

"So... what do we do now?" Tifa asked. A shrug was the best answer anyone could give her at the moment. They were still digesting everything, disturbed by the fact that according to Bugenhagen the Planet was dying. Shin-Ra was slowly murdering it. They'd have to be stopped, but how?

"First we find Hojo. Then we deal with Shin-Ra. I don't think Rufus'll be talked into forgetting Mako, knowin' how much money he makes with it, so we'll have to make him see the light..." Barret muttered and looked at his group, one by one. He raised his voice when he spoke again. "If there's anything I can do to save the Planet and the people on it, then I'm gonna do it! I don't care if it's for justice or revenge or whatever! Tonight, here, Avalanche is born again! Everyone with me?"

His honest words had affected them all, and Tifa and Aeris nodded right away, as did Cait Sith, even though Barret wasn't really asking him. Cid shrugged and nodded.

"Might as well..." Yuffie said.

They all turned to Red who hadn't given an answer yet.

"What about you? Guess we should call ya Nanaki from now..."

"...my tribe has always been protectors of this place and those who came here to study. Those who appreciate this beautiful canyon and the Planet. My brave mother died protecting it, but my cowardly father left her... that makes me the last of my race, and as that, I inherited the mission to protect this place. My journey ends here." Red said slowly.

"Well, if you're sure. It was good ta have you aboard." Barret said after a moment of silence.

"Thank you, Barret. I'm sure." Red lowered his head. "I remember, long ago, when I was still very small... we were all gathered around this fire. When I remember my mother, I am full of pride and joy. And that's fine. But when I remember my father, my heart is full of anger... I wish to stay here and follow in my mother's footsteps, like you humans like to say." The beast was smiling slightly now but turned serious when a voice suddenly spoke from behind him.

"You really can't forgive your father?"

They all turned to see Bugenhagen. The old man was hovering in the air as usual, his bright eyes staring at Red.

"...of course." The beast answered after a moment. "He left mother for dead when the Gi tribe attacked, ran off by himself, leaving us and the people of the Canyon!"

Bugenhagen shook his head sadly and motioned for him to follow. "I wanted to have a talk with you, young lady," he nodded towards Aeris, "but I'm afraid it'll have to wait awhile. Come, Nanaki, there's something you should see. Would a few of your friends come along, the place may be dangerous?"

Barret and Tifa volunteered, but they all followed the elder to a sealed metal door that was on the way to his observatory. Bugenhagen opened it and followed the three in, saying that they might be gone for a few hours and that the others should get some rest. The door slid closed, leaving the rest of Avalanche outside.

"So. What do we do?" Cid asked.

"I think I'll go to the inn. Good night, all." Aeris said and left them. She seemed sad and somehow more alone than usual but the pilot didn't know what he could say to make the girl feel better.

"It's been years since I was here the last time. I'll have a better look around." Cait said and hopped off. That left only Cid and Yuffie.

"I think I'll have a looksie as well..." the ninja said, rubbing her hands together with a sly look on her face.

"Oh no you don't..." Cid muttered and grabbed the girl by the neck of her shirt.

"Hey?! Whaddaya doin'?!" Yuffie screamed when Cid started to drag her towards the inn.

"I'll be damned if I let you steal anything from these folks... you're going to bed like a good girl and you're gonna like it, all right?"

"Forget it old man you're so not my type!"

"Get yer mind outta the gutter, girl!"

"My name's Yuffie!" The ninja struggled to get free from the iron grip but didn't succeed, and eventually let the pilot drag her to the inn. There was no way the man could watch her door all night...

After paying the man at the inn extra for bolting Yuffie's door shut, Cid sighed with relief and wondered if they could just 'forget' the girl when they left. They could, but she'd eventually get out and return to them. He checked the room he had reserved for himself and left his spear there, feeling safe without it. He thought about turning in as well but had too much on his mind to be able to sleep in the next few hours.

"Ah, damn it... where did that Soldier go..."

He asked the bartender downstairs if he knew where Zax lived, and was told to climb up to one of the higher floors of the town. When he eventually found the right ladder that lead there, he could already see the Soldier standing on a small plateau in front of a door that seemed to lead into the stone pillar the city grew on.

"Hiya Cid, likin' the view so far?" Zax asked and flashed him a smile when the panting pilot reached the plateau.

"Shut up wiseass." Cid managed in between gasps of air.

"You know, you really should kick that smoking habit of yours..." the Soldier said and opened the door. "Coming? I have tea."

"Just a minute..." Cid said to have a moment to catch his breath and to take a good look around.

The sky was like a ceiling of dark blue velvet above them, full of bright stars and a few clouds. Far in the west, the horizon was still full of colours, but it was fast growing dark. Everything seemed so peaceful it was hard to believe that he was watching a dying world. Shaking his head, Cid followed the Soldier in and closed the door behind him.

The small room he found himself in was much like the other dwellings here. Walls, ceiling and the floor were of stone, two small windows on both sides of the door gave a marvelous view over the horizon. The floor was covered with warm carpets, and there wasn't much furniture, only a small cabinet, a table and four chairs. Zax was standing in front of a hole in the wall, a door partly covered with a heavy cloth, that lead to another room. The Soldier was watching the pilot with half a smile on his tanned face.

"What're you smilin' at?" Cid asked. Zax just shook his head and motioned for him to sit down. The pilot was happy to obey.

The Soldier also sat down, opposite him. "The tea will be ready in a minute."

Cid nodded, fingering his scarf and looking around in the small room. The door interested him the most, as there clearly wasn't anything unusual about this room. No places to hide...

"Lost something?" Zax asked, and the pilot turned to see him staring, dark-haired head cocked to the side.

"No. Just wonderin' if that crazy blond's around... Tifa, that girl with us, she said the kid died seven years ago." Cid watched the Soldier's face carefully, trying to read his emotions. To his disappointment, Zax just shrugged and turned to watch the kettle to his right, the water ready to boil.

"Isn't that what the Turks said as well?" He muttered and turned back to the pilot. "Look. That was all a lie. Hojo caught him and kept him as a prisoner for two years. Then Seph and I rescued him, and... well. It's a lie. You want cookies with your tea?" The Soldier got up and started to search the cupboard for teacups.

Cid shook his head. "No, gotta watch my figure..."

Zax laughed and set the table. Only when they both had a steaming cup of tea in their hands he answered the question. "He's back there, sleeping. Where's Shera?"

"Last time I saw her was in Midgar. That Barret has a cute lil' daughter, she's taking care of her. When things started to go bad in Midgar, they took off. She said she'd find a safe place and keep the kid safe."

"That's cool. So what's the whole story with this 'blowing up reactors' -deal?" Zax asked and leaned back. Cid ended up telling him the whole story, how they'd ended up in Midgar and met Barret and his small team, then very different than now. That had been a few years ago, and after that they'd planned ways to harass Shin-Ra. Blowing up the reactors had been their latest and most violent act.

"We didn't really have much choice. Shit, we did our worst, but Shin-Ra was unaffected. Pretended that nothing was wrong. Only after the first one went kaboom did they admit that yes, there are terrorists here. We didn't wanna do it, in a way. I mean, we knew people were gonna die. There's always someone in the reactor, 24 hours a day. But after that they couldn't ignore us anymore."

Zax was terrified to hear of the collapse of the Sector 7 plate, enraged for all the innocents who had died. But he remained quiet while Cid spoke, until the pilot mentioned the Masamune in the president's back. That was when his head came up suddenly, and he let out a small noise of surprise. Cid stopped talking but the Soldier begged of him to continue.

When he was done, Cid pulled out a cigarette and lighted it from a candle on the table.

"You shouldn't do that, it's bad luck..." Zax muttered, staring at the small light. Cid snorted. "You know, Nanaki already told me some of that... that you had met Seph... but I didn't know what to think. I still don't."

"Whaddaya mean?" Cid asked and drank the rest of his tea.

"He's alive. He's been alive the past five years, while Cloud and me rotted in hell. Why didn't he come to get us out? He must have known... he left us with that son of a bitch Hojo, knowing what he'd do to us. Why the hell..."

"Don't ask me, kid... I've never understood the minds of the mad. Or women. Unreadable, both. But kid..." unusually serious and kind, Cid leaned closer and caught Zax's eyes, "don't think on it too much. You'll only hurt yourself. You ever get to meet him again, you can ask then. Before that, forget it."

Zax smiled and closed his eyes. "Thanks Cid... I know, but it still eats at me."

Cid looked out of the window to see the pitch black sky and suddenly realized how late it was. His mind was still full of thoughts, even more than before, but he was starting to feel tired.

"Think I'll head to the inn now... take care, kid, see ya in the morning..."

"Yeah, thanks..." Zax got up as well but went to the bedchamber's door. Curious, Cid followed him and peeked into the dark room. When his eyes adjusted to the lack of light, he could see a large bed with a person upon it, curled up to a ball underneath a heavy blanket. One blond spike stuck out from the mound.

"He okay?" The pilot whispered, extinguishing his cigarette with the tips of his gloved fingers.

"As well as can be expected. A bit out of it. He'll survive. We both will." Zax muttered and smiled when Cid nodded and just about tiptoed his way to the door.

"Well, g'night."

"See ya, Cid."

The pilot left the small house and climbed back down, just in time to see Barret and Tifa return to the candle. He joined them and they made their way to the inn, where the two quickly told him what had happened before retiring to their rooms. They didn't say much, only that they'd had to battle their way through some caves. Cid hadn't seen Red or Bugenhagen, Barret said that they had stayed behind for a while. The pilot wished he would have gone with them; the fighting would have done him good, from the sound of it he wouldn't have had any time to think.

Cid breathed out a long sigh and lighted a cigarette. He had stepped out for just one more before going to bed himself, and wandered towards the gate. It was darker there, he could see the stars better. He admired them for a while, feeling the pain of never making it up among them. Before he had told himself that 'one day...', but now he was starting to think that there might never be 'one day', not if they couldn't help the planet.

Well, if everything went the worst possible way, at least they would go out with a big bang.

A movement in the corner of his eye startled him, but the pilot kept quiet and just turned to watch as a dark shape slipped from shadow to shadow, making a quick way towards the stairs to the observatory. Cid swore quietly and snubbed out the cig. Of course he didn't have his spear with him.

He blinked and frowned when the shadow stepped into the Candle's light for a second and he recognized Cloud. Great. No sight of Zax anywhere, so the loon had probably escaped... he almost called out at the blond, but stopped himself when he started to wonder what the boy was going to do at the observatory.

Well, he had missed the fight, might as well have SOME excitement... Cid grinned and ran silently after Cloud.

Hiding in shadows as much as the boy was, Cid followed him up the stairs, past the weapons store and up the second stairs. He had expected Cloud to climb the ladder but in stead the blond went straight to the door that Bugenhagen had previously kept sealed.

Now it opened noiselessly when Cloud only touched it.

Cid almost let out a surprised shout and wondered if he should get someone. But once Cloud was through the door it started to close slowly, so the pilot made a quick decision and jumped in.

He made a thud when he landed on the cave's floor, but the boy didn't seem to notice, he was already climbing down the ropes towards the bottom of the cave. The door closed behind him and Cid swore quietly before running to the edge of the cliff.

Cloud climbed down a bit unsurely but quickly, his grip on the rope slipping every now and then. It didn't stop him, though. Cid watched him start on the second one, and lowered himself from the cliff. He wondered if Zax had already noticed that the blond was gone, and if anyone would think of looking for him in here. Because if he'd lose sight of the nutcase and get lost in the caves he'd heard about, he'd have a hard time getting out of here. Ever.

In stead of climbing down all the way to the second ledge, Cid jumped to it and poked his head out just in time to see blond spikes disappear below a lower ledge.

"Shit..." he swore and jumped to the next one, soon catching up enough to have to hide again. Cloud seemed pretty distracted, though, maybe he wouldn't notice the pilot even if Cid walked beside him.

Down they went, one ledge at a time, until Cloud reached the bottom and took off quickly. Cid jumped down from halfway through the rope, stopped to catch his breath -damn –pant- cigarettes, -wheeze- should quit- and ran after him.

It was easier to follow the blond now that he could keep an eye on him all of the time, except when Cloud was momentarily behind a boulder or one of the small hills. But the boy kept walking and didn't disappear into any of the dark caves that opened their maws left and right. Cid was thankful for that but hurried on anyway. Fast enough to almost bump into Cloud when he had suddenly stopped behind a rise of the land. The air here had a strange, greenish glow to it.

The pilot backed away quickly, wondering what was going to happen now. Hopefully the boy hadn't come here for a tryst. If so, he'd go THROUGH the freakin' door--

"'You came, my puppet. Very good.'"

Cid's eyes went wide and he swallowed slowly, trying not to make a noise. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. It WAS a lover's meeting. He closed his eyes tight and hoped he could get the hell out of here before he was noticed.

But five years ago, he had gotten the impression that Zax was smitten with the blond kid. Times and people change, but even then, the Soldier's words and watching Cloud had told him that the boy wasn't completely well yet.

"'Let me look at you. Mm. Yes, you've gained strength since I last saw you. And you look exactly like the original. Hojo may be a fool but he is good.'"

Okay. THAT certainly was unexpected. Cid opened his eyes again, held his breath and peeked around the boulder.

And nearly stumbled, screamed and yearned for a pack of cigarettes and a hard drink. Not necessarily in that order.

Cloud stood not far from him, his back to the pilot, swaying a little on his feet. He was staring up, head cocked to the left a little. The air around him glowed more brightly now, around the blond and the one standing in front of him. No, floating, with his long, silver hair creating a shining halo around the black clothes and pale, smiling face. Mako eyes shone the brightest, green and amused as the General Sephiroth looked down at Cloud. His whole body was slightly translucent, Cid could see the forms of the stones through the man.

"'Is your mind working already? Do you know who you are?'" Sephiroth inquired, descending so that their faces were closer to each other. Cloud just stared. "'Answer me.'"

Cid swallowed and pulled back, leaning his back against the cool stone. He let out a long breath and closed his eyes again, just listening. The General's voice sounded odd, and soon he realized why. The bastard actually sounded nice, and spoke to Cloud kindly.

"...yes. I am Cloud." The blond's voice was quiet but not hesitant like before.

"'Good. And who am I?'" Sephiroth sounded like he had asked the same questions before, like this was some sort of routine.

"Sephiroth."

"'Very good. Now... what is your mission?'"

"...mission?"

"'Yes. Don't you have the feeling that you should go somewhere? Do something?'" Sephiroth sounded slightly irritated now and sighed loudly when Cloud gave no answer. "'Never mind, it will come to you.'"

"Hojo wants me to go to him." Cloud offered, like a child who wanted to please his parent.

"'Ignore him. He is of no importance. You obey me, understand?'"

"...yes."

"'You are a bit of a slow one, aren't you?'"

"...yes?"

"'Your mind probably isn't working well yet, if it ever will. I suppose I spoke good of Hojo too soon. At least he managed to save Zackery.'"

"...I love Zax."

There was a moment of silence in which the air temperature seemed to drop. Cid's eyes popped open when he heard a loud slap, a squeak of pain and a thud when someone, probably Cloud, fell to the ground. The pilot couldn't help it when a surprised sound escaped from his lips. He closed his eyes tight when Sephiroth's heavy, angry breathing stopped. He could imagine the General's icy gaze searching for him.

But no one came to search for him, and when Sephiroth spoke next, his voice was back to the cold and distant one Cid could remember from five years ago. "'Go back now, before they start searching for you. Do not speak of this to anyone. I will talk with you later. Understand?'"

"...yes..."

"'Go now. ...say you fell down some stairs.'"

The glow disappeared almost instantly and Cid dared to breathe again. He could hear Cloud moving on the ground, sobbing quietly, probably trying to get up. The pilot moved to the other side of the rise, to keep away from the blond's way, and closed his eyes, trying to make sense of what he'd just heard and seen.

Exactly like the original? Mission? Sephiroth controlled Cloud? Well, this confirmed that the General being alive and around wasn't necessarily a good thing.

He stayed out of sight when Cloud walked past him a few minutes later, back to the ropes. He only saw the boy's back, not the damage Sephiroth had inflicted on him. He followed when Cloud was just out of sight, up the same way they had come. The door opened with a touch again, and Cid managed to slip out just before it closed. Only then he dared to breathe deep again.

Cloud headed down the stairs and Cid followed, although now he wasn't too careful about not being seen anymore. He'd make sure the kid got back home safely, and then he'd have ten cigarettes.

Cid stopped to the top of the stairs after the weapons shop and sat down, digging through his pockets for the matches. He watched as Cloud got as far as the Candle when Zax, standing on the gate with the guard, noticed him and ran to the blond.

"Cloud! Where the hell..." the Soldier lowered his voice and Cid couldn't hear the rest but could imagine it.

Puppet. No wonder Zax seemed to avoid talking about the blond. He watched the two head home and shook his head, pulling a cigarette from his goggles.

* * *

Sephiroth returned to his body and cursed. He had no wish to go to the Canyon, so he had always contacted this puppet with his spirit form. The problem with that was that he couldn't catch possible eavesdroppers even if he saw them. He had hoped to establish a better link with the puppet, now that its mind was working better, but then he had heard that small noise. Had there been someone else in the cave? Had someone heard them? Who? Someone from the Avalanche or a villager? He hadn't expected that the group would meet Zackery and the puppet, even though he had known that the red beast was from Cosmo Canyon and was returning home. Of course the rest of the group would go to town as well. When had he become so careless in his plans? What would it mean to him that they had met?

/You give too much credit to those worms, my son. They can not harm us, or change the destiny of this planet. If you must hang on to them, take them only as entertainment. That is all they can be to us./

Her words soothed his mind and pushed the doubts into hiding. She was right, he was going to be a god after all. What could little humans do to him?

* * *

A.N: Hmm, that should be all the pieces of the puzzle... please leave a review if you liked it! And especially if you didn't! :) And now for something completely different!

Sing along with Cid!

**Mako in the mine**

Cid steps to the stage, straightening his scarf, an unlit ciggie hanging from his mouth. Shera and Tifa are behind him, in matching skirts, the kind miners wives and daughters wear in those old movies, you know, dots and frills and stuff, their hair braided, ready to sing backup. Cid lights the cigarette when the music starts.

The rest are sitting around a table, in front of the stage. Cid walks down as he starts singing, and puts his hands on Aeris' shoulder.

"_The woman who's blue, she's looking to win,_

"_the girl in pink -- that's you -- says she has no kin._

"_The river is swollen up with souls of men_

"_and the trees are burning in your Promised Land._"

Tifa and Shera join in in the chorus while Cid moves to his next victim

"_And there are no letters in the mailbox,_

"_and there are no grapes upon the vine,_

"_and there are no chocobos in the fields anymore,_

"_and there is no Mako in the mine_."

He grabs Zax in a tight headlock and points at him with the hand that holds the microphone, while the cigarette hangs from his lip

"_Well, you tell me that your lover has a broken mind,_

"_you say you're kind of restless now and it's on account of him._

"_Well, I saw the man in question, it was just the other night,_

"_he was talking with a General where the lions and Gi tribe fight_."

Zax, surprised, turns to Cloud when Cid finally releases him and returns to the stage. Cloud blushes a bit and shrugs.

"_And there are no letters in the mailbox_

"_and there are no grapes upon the vine,_

"_and there are no chocobos in the fields anymore,_

"_and there is no Mako in the mine._

"_You tell them now._

"_Ah, there is no comfort in the reactor of the witch,_

"_some very clever professor went and sliced up the bitch,_

"_and the only man of energy, yes the good professor's pride,_

"_he trained a hundred Soldiers just to kill a Wutaian child._

"_And there are no letters in the mailbox,_

"_oh no, there are no, no grapes upon your vine,_

"_and there are, there are no chocobos in your fields anymore,_

"_and there is no Mako in your mine_."

Cid's voice rises into a really raspy scream. The girls sing in tune but he lets it rip.

"_And there are no letters in the mailbox,_

"_and there are no grapes upon the vine,_

"_and there are no chocobos in your fields anymore,_

"_and there is no Mako in your mine_."

Cid bows and swears as he heads to the bar.

Leonard Cohen: Diamonds in the Mine, from Songs of Love and Hate.

Very, VERY big apologies to mr. Leonard Cohen, as if he should ever read this. Seriously, this is how I imagine Cid to sound. So perfect, especially at the end.


	24. 2, Chapter Six

Warning: Ookay, there's a ZxC lemony thing in this chapter. I thought about not posting it, but it, surprisingly enough, is essential to understanding the character's relationship. Yeeeeah... and it's not that graphic. Still thought I ought to warn ya. It's the last bit, so you can just skip it if you don't want to read it.

Thank you so very much for reviews! I am proud to announce that this is the first chapter that has been beta-read before publishing. Huge thanks to KMS! She's great, and fast, too! Thou shall no more suffer typos because I like to write half asleep. .

And, ShiAne asked why Cloud is called 'boy'. Uh, well... I dunno. Reflex? Habit? But he will soon enough be called something else... mwa ha haaaa...

I won't go into what happened in the Gi caves, nothing happened that we didn't see in the game. So basically fight fight fight, giant spider, fight, slippery stuff on the floor, fight and FIGHT! And Seto. Same thing with Bugenhagen's lecture.

And, of course... since I'm not Square, I don't own any of the characters or anything else, really. I just mess with their minds.

...that was a long starting note.

* * *

**Chapter six: Count down**

-

Cid hadn't slept much the rest of the night. When the morning came he was woken brutally by a furious Yuffie who had been released from her room. She had dragged him down to the inn's common room, where the rest of Avalanche already gathered. Tifa and Barret told them about last night in more detail than what the pilot had already heard, and then the group decided that they would leave in a few hours, after gathering supplies.

Their buggy had been fixed already and Cid had taken care of his share of shopping, so he finally had time to sit down and have the first cigarette of the day. He was just wondering how to tell Zax about last night when the younger man walked past him. "Hey, Zax."

Zax stopped and waved his hand, smiling when he turned to walk to the pilot. "Hi Cid, I was just on my way to find you guys. What's up?" the dark-haired man asked and sat down next to the blond, on the edge of the Candle's plateau.

Cid took a long breath through his cigarette and sat in silence for a moment. "Cloud didn't happen to wake up with a bruise this morning?" he finally asked and didn't have to turn to see Zax go absolutely still and stiff.

"...how did you know?" the Soldier asked quietly, turning to stare at the scenery.

"A wild guess. Did he say how he got it?"

"He went off wandering last night after I fell asleep, said he fell down some stairs. It's pretty much healed already."

Cid scratched his neck and started a new cigarette from the old one. "I know how it happened. He didn't fall. He was hit."

"What?!" Zax's dark expression turned instantly to one of burning rage. "Who the hell? What happened?"

"Your buddy the General Sephiroth the hell. Cloud managed to piss him off," Cid said and did turn to watch the Soldier. Zax's mouth dropped open while emotions battled on his face. Finally utter confusion won, and he could do nothing but stare while the pilot told him the whole story, repeating the conversation as best as he could. When he was done, Zax had buried his face in his hands. He couldn't believe that Sephiroth had been here... that the silver-haired man had been here and hadn't come to see him. He felt hurt and more than a little confused. The world wasn't making much sense, but then again, had it made any sense during the last five years?

"...oh hell... Cid, what's going on? What the hell do I do?"

Cid shrugged. "Damned if I know. Any idea of what Sephiroth might want of him? Or what the hell's he up to?"

"I don't know, I don't know..." came the muffled answer. The pilot sighed and asked the question which bothered him more than the General.

"So. What's this talk about puppets?"

Zax's muscles stiffened again, and his voice was absolutely cold when he answered. "Hojo's doings. That's all you need to know about it."

"Oh yeah? What if Sephiroth can control him? What if he goes nuts and starts to kill us? Still none of my business?"

The Soldier opened and closed his mouth a few times, starting to say something but apparently not knowing what. Barret interrupted them before he could come up with anything.

"Highwind! Soldier! C'mere!"

Cid muttered a few chosen words but they both got up and walked to where the leader of Avalanche was waiting for them at the door of the inn. He ushered them in, where Tifa, Cait and Yuffie were waiting around a table. The three men sat down, and Zax and Cid turned to Barret.

"Okay. Aeris is with Bugenhagen, talkin' about the Cetras. But the rest of us can check the equipment and go over the plan and all that, so we can leave when she comes back. You," he pointed a finger at Zax, "are here 'cause Red told us to talk with you about Hojo and Sephiroth. Anything you wanna share with us?"

Zax looked at their faces, all turned to him. Both Tifa and Yuffie seemed somewhat suspicious of him, but they had their reasons. Barret was clearly expecting him to tell him everything he knew while Cid toyed with his lighter. The robot cat had a happy, curious smile on his face, but it just made the Soldier wonder who was listening through it. He sighed and pushed his fingers through his thick mane.

"Okay. You're after Hojo, right? He's a skinny little runt but he's far more dangerous than any of us, believe me. If I'd never have to see the bastard again I could die a happy man. But that would mean I didn't get to kill him.

"Don't waste time when releasing your friends, he can turn them against you overnight. Someone gets caught, they're off worse than dead. Expect the worst. Sephiroth..." He sighed again and rubbed at his face. "Shiva's icy ass, I don't know what to tell you. I don't have any idea what he wants with you, where he's going or what he's doing. I don't know him anymore." He pushed himself away from the table and turned to stare morosely at the wall. The Avalanche members looked at each other, puzzled.

"Uhh... well he wants Hojo dead, we think..." Yuffie said after a moment.

"He sad something about fulfilling his destiny," Tifa offered next.

Zax snorted and turned back to them. "That's not him talking, that's her. Jenova."

"But he didn't have the bitch with him on the ship, nor last night when I saw him," Cid said, making the rest of the Avalanche turn their attentions to him like a pack of wolves who just spotted prey. Zax groaned.

"You saw him last night and didn't tell us?!"

"What, here?"

"Sephiroth was here?!"

"Okay, shut up!" Cid shouted as they received the attention of the other people in the inn as well. "Yes, I saw him, yes, he was here, at least by magic."

"What did he want?" Barret asked. Cid didn't answer but turned to Zax.

"You wanna tell them?"

"...shit. I didn't see him, Cloud, my friend, did. And Cid told me about it. All you need to know is that Hojo seems to want Cloud but Sephiroth told him to ignore it. And that... well, that's actually it." He scratched his neck, refusing to look anyone in the eyes. Everyone else turned to Cid, but the pilot just shrugged.

"That's pretty much it. The General seems to have some control over both Hojo and Cloud."

"Who exactly is this Cloud and why haven't we met him?" Barret asked suspiciously.

"He's my friend. Hojo screwed him up with his experiments."

"If Hojo wants him, why can't we use him as a hostage or something? Offer him in trade for Aeris' parents?" Yuffie suggested and almost jumped to Tifa's lap when Zax shot up from his chair.

"Don't you even JOKE--"

"As a bluff! AS A BLUFF! We make Hojo think he can trust us and then kick his ass when his back is turned!" the ninja screamed, covering her head with her hands. Cid chuckled while Zax sat back down, eyeing her with murder in his violet eyes.

"Not such a bad idea, brat," Barret muttered, eyeing the Soldier. "'Specially if we can offer him two for two."

"Son of a--" Zax almost jumped up again but Cid put a hand on his shoulder.

"Relax, hothead. They wouldn't say that if they didn't mean to keep you both outta Hojo's hands," Cid muttered and grinned when the glowing, violet eyes turned their rage on him.

Zax fumed for a moment longer before forcing himself to calm down. "Sorry. But if any of you had spent time as Hojo's 'guest', you wouldn't speak of it that lightly. But if there's no other plan," he gave everyone around the small table a stern look that said that he meant it, "NO OTHER PLAN, we'll do it. Or I'll do it. I'd rather not get Cloud tangled up in this."

"Too late, kid, I think he's already in this deeper than you are," Cid said and the Soldier had to nod eventually. "And, if we just leave him here, who knows what'll happen."

"So it's a deal," Barret said and offered Zax his human hand. "You two come with us to free Aeris' folks, an' then we can all go our separate ways. Unless you want ta join us and save the Planet."

Zax grabbed his hand firmly and shook it. "Deal. We'll see about the rest once Hojo's lying dead at our feet."

The members of Avalanche nodded in agreement.

* * *

"It is good to finally meet you, young lady," Bugenhagen said and smiled at the young Cetra. Aeris nodded and sat down.

"You too, elder Bugenhagen. My parents have told me so much about you and this place, it is wonderful to finally be here. I just wish they were here with me."

They were sitting in the elder's observatory, the highest floor of his house. She had left the rest of the group to gather what provisions they needed when the elder had sent a message that he wanted to talk with her awhile. Aeris had already spoken with the other elders last night, about the Cetra and the Planet. But Bugenhagen was the one her parents had been working together with for a long time, to better understand the Planet and those who lived on it.

"Ho ho hoo, maybe the day will come, when all three of you will stay as our guests here. Maybe sooner than you think," the elder said, and she shared his smile.

"You think this rescue will go well, then?"

"It will go as it will go, my child. Don't worry about failing when you haven't even begun yet. But! You've talked with the other elders already, yes?"

"Yes, last night. They only told me again what Mother had feared. That we truly are the last of our race. And she, my mother, the last pure one. I am half human. My children will have only a small amount of the Cetra blood in them. Unless..." She looked up to the old man's eyes, daring to finally ask the question she had been pondering since Midgar.

"Father and mother never talked about him in my presence, but now, on my own, I have heard of him. Rufus Shin-Ra, the new president... he called him an Ancient."

Bugenhagen's smile died away and he hovered in a small circle for a moment. "You're talking about your father and Hojo's experiment with the Jenova. Sephiroth."

Aeris nodded and leaned closer when the old man moved to hover next to a window.

"Your father has told me a lot about him on the times he visited me. When Jenova was found, they were convinced that she was a Cetra. Your mother was the last one left, then, and through research it was deduced that she and Jenova shared almost the same DNA. Not wanting your race to become extinct, like our Nanaki's, they decided to create a new race, people with the powers of the Cetras. Thus Sephiroth was produced.

"Ho ho... maybe if your father had been in the project the whole time, maybe then Sephiroth might have become something of a true Cetra. But professor Hojo ousted him, and took control of the child Sephiroth and his future. Your father and I suspected later on that Jenova had a control over Hojo then already, but by then both he and Sephiroth were in Shin-Ra's hands, and we were unable to do anything.

"Your mother, she told your father about the history of the Cetra, the Planet and a lot of other things. He, in turn, told them to me. The Jenova creature... the calamity from the skies... it crashed into the Northern Crater, as it is known now, and created a large wound there. The Cetra fought it, and eventually the Planet trapped Jenova inside itself, trying to destroy the intruder. For as long as it exists, the wound at the Knowlespole, as your mother refers to it, will not heal. She fears that as long as it exists, it can come back to life. If it really controlled Hojo then, it is likely that it is returning."

"Through Sephiroth..." Aeris whispered and the elder nodded.

"I fear so. When the mistake had been realized, it was already too late. Sephiroth may have the powers of a Cetra, he may even be one, but as long as Jenova exists, as long as she controls him, he is very much hers."

"So he is a danger to us, and to the Planet. As much as Jenova is."

"Yes."

"A friend, Cid, who met Sephiroth five years ago, told us that he had been carrying around a severed, blue-skinned head. Is that her? Jenova?"

"I think so." Bugenhagen hovered over to a desk and searched through a pile of papers, eventually finding what he was searching for, and gave it to her. Aeris took the printed photo and looked at it.

It was in black and white, but still a sharp picture of a woman, hooked into numerous tubes and machines. Her body was bloated and Aeris could imagine the bluish hue to the skin. In front of her, on both sides, stood two men in white coats. She gasped as she recognized her father, much younger. So the other man must be Hojo. Aeris looked up to the elder who nodded, smiling gently.

"You can keep the picture. Now you'd better be going, before your friends leave without you."

"Thank you, elder Bugenhagen. You have given me much to think about," Aeris said and stood up, folding the picture. The elder gave her a tight hug, tighter than he seemed to have strength for.

"You are welcome, my girl. And welcome to come again, whenever you want to talk more."

They said their goodbyes and she left. She was almost on the lower floor already when Bugenhagen appeared above her, at the top of the ladder.

"Oh yes, and keep an eye on Nanaki, would you? Ho ho hooo!"

* * *

The woman who usually kept Cloud company when Zax was away hugged the blond one more time and left. Cloud barely noticed it, watching the Soldier pack their few belongings in a hurry. A change of clothes, some food, a blanket and, of course, the Buster Sword.

The blond blinked a few times and frowned, concentrating on what Zax had said and what he wanted to say back. Sometimes it was so hard to keep his mind from wandering, and even when he could concentrate, his thoughts were flowing with different voices. Hojo called for him. She whispered in his blood. Sephiroth's commands rang in his ears. Feelings and memories flooded through him, and he didn't know if they were even his. He tried hard to keep up with all of them and the outside world as well.

"We're... going to... Nibelheim? Why?"

There were moments of clarity, even long ones, when one or more of the voices were otherwise occupied and forgot him for a moment. But lately those quiet moments had been few and far between. He could remember days of thinking by himself, seeing things clearly. Then they remembered him again, and thinking was harder. Zax called that a relapse. Now they were all making it harder for him to concentrate, but he fought them as best as he could.

Zax zipped his small bag closed and swung it over his shoulder, the sword already hanging over the other one. "We're helping out a few friends. You remember Cid, don't you? I told you last night he came here with some of his friends. Remember?"

Zax was always assuming he didn't remember anything, just because he sometimes stopped speaking in the middle of a sentence or couldn't recall what day it was. But he did remember the important things. Cid, from Rocket Town. The Turks. Mom. People shooting, the roar of an engine. Then blackness and the sea. All that from one name. He did remember. A lot.

"...Yes." Nibelheim. Even more things. Mom, again. Home. Warmness. Safety. Some vague images of a father. The bullies and the cold winters. The crisp mountain air, the strong winds. The mansion. Hojo. Vincent. Pain. Injections, experiments. More pain. Nibelheim not good. "I don't... want to go." But Hojo wanted him there. Sephiroth didn't want him to listen to Hojo. She didn't care just now. She didn't like him. He didn't like her either.

A hand on his shoulder snapped Cloud back into reality. He looked up to see Zax's smiling face looking down on him. But it wasn't the same smile he could remember from before. This was the smile Zax gave him now. It wasn't nearly as nice as before but it was still a smile, and he answered it.

"Don't worry, you'll be all right. We all will be. Hojo is hurting some people and we're going to help them. Then, maybe, we won't have to worry about Hojo anymore. Wouldn't that be nice?"

Cloud frowned again when the Soldier tugged him up from the bed and guided towards the door. "...yes?"

"Yes, it would be nice. You know, if they hadn't asked, I probably would have asked myself if I can go with them. Maybe we'll even see Seph. Mind the steps, don't want you to fall. Wait, I'll go first. Come on, now, follow me. I'll make sure you won't fall."

Why did Zax think he'd fall? He was strong, getting stronger every day. And the ground was far below them. He knew that falling would hurt, so he held on to the ladder tightly. He told himself Zax was just worried about him, that something might happen to him. He knew how the Soldier felt about him, although he hadn't said anything for so long. But he still knew, as surely as he knew how to breathe. On his clearer moments he tried to kindle that affection in the Soldier, but Zax always told him no. But they loved each other, the knowledge of that was imprinted to his mind. Even if Zax treated him so coldly half of the time. He was still there, ready to catch him if he'd fall.

* * *

"All set?" Barret asked when they all gathered at the gate, the Avalanche, Zax and Cloud. Everyone nodded, except Cloud who was staring at Barret's gun-arm, and Tifa, who was staring at him and Zax. The leader of Avalanche frowned and looked around. "I'm tellin' you, the car's not big enough for all o' us..."

Cid scratched his neck. "Well, three on the front seat, four on the back and the cat in the trunk. We'll fit. Somehow."

"Why do I always have to sit in the trunk?" Cait wailed, making Yuffie laugh.

"Because you're just a robot and robots ride in the trunk," Cid explained, making the others snicker as well.

"That is only eight of us. Where will I fit?" They turned to see Nanaki walking slowly towards them, smiling.

"Damn. I think we need a bigger car," Barret said but his grin welcomed the large beast.

Cloud looked up to Zax and tugged at his shirt. "Zax? What happened to... the car you stole last time?"

The Soldier coughed and felt himself blushing. "I don't know. And anyway I just borrowed it."

"Can't you borrow another one?" The blond said, somehow making the word 'borrow' sound the same as 'steal'. Avalanche followed their conversation intently. They still didn't know Zax well, and next to nothing about Cloud, not even if they could trust the blond, if Sephiroth really controlled him.

Nanaki let out a small laugh and turned towards the inn. "I'm sure I can borrow another car for us. I'll be right back."

"Great!" Cait exclaimed and turned to Cid. "Do I still have to travel in the trunk?"

"Yes!"

An hour later they were already on the road in two cars. Zax knew the way, so he drove the first car. Cloud sat next to him, staring passively at the scenery. Cid and Nanaki occupied the backseat. Behind them, Barret drove the buggy with Aeris on the other front seat. Tifa and Yuffie sat in the back, and Cait's mog in the trunk. The little cat had left his usual spot at the top of the mog's head, sitting now between the girls, and was telling them stories about the Gold Saucer. With two cars, they had room to spare, but hopefully on the way back the space would be taken by Aeris' parents.

Last time the trip had taken a day and a half, so Zax had suspected that they'd arrive in Nibelheim late the following afternoon. They intended to go straight to the mansion and confront Hojo, hopefully trick him into believing that they were really ready to trade the Soldier and Cloud for Ifalna and Gast. Zax doubted it, but believed that the professor's curiosity would be kindled by their obvious bluff, and that he might let them in without putting up much of a fight. They could always hope. And pray that the scientist hadn't yet done anything irreversible to his victims.

* * *

Reeve leaned back in his chair, letting the robot cat babble on on its own while its sharp ears heard and recorded every word spoken between Aeris and Barret. The young woman was telling the man about her conversation with the elder Bugenhagen, and Reeve found it most interesting. He knew that President Rufus would find it very interesting as well. The blond man was still adamant about finding Sephiroth, and if he could report that he might have a lead on the legendary General, Reeve was sure that his job would be secured for the next year or so. He had learned to like the members of Avalanche and didn't want to betray them, but telling the president about Sephiroth wouldn't hurt the group. Hopefully.

He had been surprised to see Lindeman back at the Cosmo Canyon, although in retrospect he should have realized that the man hadn't died in Nibelheim, as they had been told. Reeve hadn't known Sephiroth's second-in-command well, only seen him in board meetings and at social gatherings, but he recognized him easily enough. He knew the official story of what had happened five years ago, and much more of the reality than the president would have liked anyone to know. He also knew something of the experiments Hojo had going on up there. He should have realized what had happened to the Soldier. He hadn't yet reported Lindeman's continued existence to the new president, not knowing how, if at all, it would affect Rufus's plans. Mostly he hoped that Hojo wouldn't find out about this. No one deserved to go through what that madman did to his specimens. The mere thought made Reeve shudder, and he leaned closer to the small television screen again, listening to the conversation.

* * *

"So what you're saying is that Sephiroth's as dangerous to the Planet as Shin-Ra?" Barret said, not taking his eyes off the road and the other car as he spoke through his teeth.

Aeris nodded. "Pretty much. He and Jenova will poison the Planet even if we managed to destroy all of the reactors and make sure that no Mako was used ever again. As long as she exists on this Planet, she will be a threat. She'll keep the Planet from completely healing herself. Oh, I wish Mother had told me more about Jenova. She has told me stories of the Cetra since I was a child, and of the Planet's history, but not much of this yet."

"Well, when we get her outta there, she can tell you everything you need to know," Barret said, trying to comfort her. Aeris smiled and lowered her chin, but brought her head up again when they came to a stop just behind the other car. They watched Zax get out and walk over to Barret.

"Ok, we're at the ford now. The tide's still pretty high, so we have to wait a while before we can cross safely. Might as well have something to eat," the Soldier said, smiling and leaning against the buggy's side. The leader of Avalanche nodded and stopped the engine, and they all got out of the two cars.

They had left Cosmo Canyon well before noon, and hadn't stopped once until now, late in the afternoon. They had decided to cross the ford and drive on for a few more hours before stopping for the night, so that they would be in Nibelheim as soon as possible.

Zax volunteered to go gather firewood, and Cloud refused to be separated from him, partly because of the looks some of their new friends were giving him. Barret sent Cid with them, to get more wood and to keep an eye on them while Aeris and Tifa went through their provisions and started to cook a quick meal. Yuffie teased Nanaki until the beast lighted the fire with the tip of his tail, and soon enough the smell of food was making their mouths water. After the meal Zax went to check on the river, Cloud following him like a shadow, and decided that the water was low enough for them to cross.

The rest of the day's ride was as blessedly uneventful as the first half had been, with most of them napping after the meal. They drove past a small hamlet not long after the ford, and another one about an hour after nightfall. This one was large enough to have a small inn, so they decided to stay there instead of tents.

There was only three rooms in the inn, all with big enough beds for two. The innkeeper was thrilled when they rented all the rooms and happily brought down an extra bed from the attic, so that the three girls shared one room, Barret and Cid stayed in one, and Zax and Cloud in the third. Nanaki decided to sleep down in the common room, on a large rug in front of a fireplace, rather than in one of the small rooms. Cait Sith was left to watch the cars, which hadn't made the little cat happy, but Cid had again pointed out that it was only a robot, and therefore the best option for a car alarm. Not that he believed someone would steal either car, he just liked being mean to the cat.

* * *

Cid and Barret stood on the opposite sides of the bed, glaring at it suspiciously. It was big enough for the both of them, no problem, but the covers were an annoying shade of faded rose pink, and the headboard was carved with hearts and little birds. It was the sort of bed that demanded romantic action.

"Right," Cid muttered and rubbed his eyes. "I think we oughta just get to sleep. Early start tomorrow."

"Yeah..." Barret answered, but neither moved nor took their eyes from the bed. About a minute later Barret opened his mouth again. "I've been meaning to ask ya, but there hasn't been a chance. Can we trust that Soldier?"

Cid scratched at his neck and shrugged. "I suppose. He wants to hurt Hojo, badly, and so do we. So for now, we can trust him."

"Bugen told Aeris 'bout Sephiroth, you hear all that already?"

"No. What did he say?"

Barret briefly told the pilot what the flower girl had told him, and then asked again if the Soldier could be trusted.

"Shit..." Cid muttered, ignored the fluffiness of the bed and sat upon it. "Well he's loyal to Sephiroth, so he might be controlled as well. But..." He really didn't want to do this... "Aw, hell... he's smitten with the blond kid. If he turns against us, we can use the kid as a hostage."

Barret stared at him grimly for a moment before nodding. They both turned to the door when they heard a sharp knock.

"Yeah?" Cid called out, standing up.

"It's me, Zax."

"Speak of the devil..." the pilot muttered and invited the Soldier in, wondering if he'd heard what they had just said. Zax opened the door and peeked in, grinning when he noticed the inviting bed.

"Damn, yours is worse than ours! I didn't think that was possible..."

"Need somethin'?" Barret asked while Cid chuckled. The Soldier shrugged.

"The innkeeper came to tell us that breakfast has been arranged. We'll leave immediately after that, right?"

"Yeah." The gun-armed man nodded, and Zax winked.

"Great. I'll tell the girls as well. Good night, you two. Don't do anything I wouldn't do!"

The door closed before Cid's boot hit it.

* * *

"Quick, hide here!" Yuffie hissed while Tifa wrapped the towel around her chest tighter and Aeris sprang to the door.

"Who is it?" the flower girl called through the wood.

"It's Zax."

"Oh, come in!" Aeris opened the door enough that the Soldier saw them all, Yuffie sitting deceivingly innocently on the extra bed, Tifa drying herself after a shower, and Aeris smiling sweetly at him. All wearing nothing more than their underwear or a towel. He blinked a few times before blushing.

"Uh, I just came to tell you that the breakfast is at seven and we're leaving straight after that, so..." He scratched his neck and grinned sheepishly. "So, uh, good night, and all that."

"Good night!" the girls answered and started to laugh when the door closed hastily.

Yuffie got up from her bed and lifted the huge pillow. "Okay, you can come out now!"

The little black and white robot cat smiled and adjusted the crown on top of its head. It let out a pleased meow when Aeris picked it up and flopped on the large bed, next to Tifa, and lowered the cat on a spare pillow. Yuffie also joined them on the bigger bed, and the three of them continued their interrupted conversation. Cait smiled contently and curled up on the pillow, purring even though he couldn't really feel the hands that stroked its fur. Yes, this was MUCH better than staying at the car.

* * *

Cloud was already under the covers when Zax closed the door behind him. Blue eyes stared at him from across the dimly lit room as the blond sat up and smiled tentatively, noticing the Soldier's frown. "Zax? Is everything all right?"

Zax waved his hand and came to sit on the bed's edge to pull his boots off. "Yeah, everything's fine, don't worry..." That was a lie and they both knew it, but he didn't feel like explaining his worries about the situation and what they'd face tomorrow right now, and Cloud knew not to ask. He kicked off the boots and pulled the sweater over his head, tossing it after the shoes. "Damn I'm beat..."

Cid had hit the proverbial nail on the head that morning, asking about Sephiroth and Cloud. He had been agonizing over the same thing himself, not knowing how much of the last five years he should share with the others. The things that had been done to them. What Cloud really was. Cid would not let the matter go, Zax suspected. The pilot knew something was going on, besides the world dying and all that, of course.

If... if things were settled with Hojo, if he'd get to speak with Seph, then they didn't have anything else to do with Avalanche. He felt that he wanted to help them aid the Planet, but sharing the past with them... the Soldier didn't know if he could. He could barely handle it by himself; if he'd have to talk about it... no, that would be too much.

He was going to stand up to take his pants off, but suddenly two pale, thin arms wrapped around his chest and he could feel Cloud press himself against his back. For a second Zax leaned back into the touch until he remembered his discomfort with the blond. Determined, he grabbed the hands and unwrapped himself. Cloud pulled back and looked up at him when the Soldier stood up and turned to face him.

"Cloud, no," Zax said like he was talking to a dog. "We're not going to do that." He shook his head and frowned when the blond scooted closer on the bed, leaving the blanket behind. Zax felt his resolve slipping when he noticed that the younger one was completely naked.

"But Zax... I love you..." Cloud whispered and smiled, looking up into the violet eyes, practically glowing with love and adoration. One hand slid languidly up, the fingertips brushing the blond's chest ever so slightly, inviting the dark-haired man's hand to join it.

This wasn't the first time this same thing had happened. Whenever he wasn't completely distracted by whatever it was that went on in his head, Cloud would turn all his attention to him. Zax would have been all over him by now, but the thought of what Cloud really was wouldn't leave his mind, and its friend, the doubt that his Cloudy wouldn't feel this way, was never far behind.

"...don't you love me?" Now Cloud was giving him the puppy eyes. Shit, where had he picked THAT up? Zax scratched his neck and lifted the other hand to his hip, frustrated even more than before and wishing the room would have two beds. Better throw in the old excuse...

"It's not that I don't care for you, Cloud. I do. Very much. You know that. But... you're still not well after Hojo's experiments. I wouldn't feel right when it would take so much of your strength," the Soldier said in his usual 'I know best' tone. Cloud just countered it with a pout that made Zax's pants feel uncomfortably tight.

"But I feel just fine! I'm not tired at all! And even if I were, I could sleep in the car tomorrow. Pleeeease, Zax..." The thin blond leaned forward, putting most of his weight on his hands, and tilted his head to the left, still looking into Zax's eyes. The Soldier had to take another step back.

"Cloud, no. Not tonight." He started to think that he really preferred it when Cloud was near catatonic, or at least confused enough to just blink and follow him around.

But the blond wasn't listening. He was on all fours and crawled towards the bed's edge, now completely free of the covers. "Please, Zax... I love you..."

Zax didn't have the heart to slip out of the way when Cloud launched himself from the bed's edge at him. His strong arms caught the lithe blond and the Soldier could feel his firm decisions drowning under passion. 'No, no, I'm not, NOT going to oh my god he smells good NO I am SO not doing this where is his hand wandering YEOWZA!'

The Soldier groaned and moved closer to the bed, Cloud hanging on his neck with one hand, the other trying to slip underneath the waistband of his pants. He tried to pry the blond off but then Cloud was already kissing him, not giving him an opportunity to think as the other hand left the neck and went to fumble with the belt.

"Cloud, no-" Zax attempted when he managed to twist his head away. The next second, Cloud's lips claimed his again. He could have easily forced the blond away and perhaps gag and bind him to get a good night's sleep, but something in him enjoyed all this attention and answered to it, reminding him that it had been over five years since he'd last been with anyone, and at least six or seven since he'd been with anyone he really cared about. And now, Cloud was here, he was certainly willing, what could it hurt?

Something else answered to the attention as well when a thin hand finally managed to open his pants and wiggle underneath the waistband of his boxers. Zax's eyes went wide and he forgot his every decision against this, pushed the blond to the bed and laid down on top of him.

Cloud squirmed beneath him, his breath shallow with passion, and lifted his head to kiss the Soldier's lips. Zax answered the kiss, his teeth biting into the blond's lower lip, gently at first, but with more strength when thin hands slid his pants down and attacked his underwear. All of his thoughts flown away, Zax wanted nothing more than to ravage the blond, take all the love he was offered and drink it, devour it, use every last bit of it to satisfy himself and wash away all the pain, fear and frustration of the last five years. He deserved this, they had both gone through so much, they both needed this and Cloud smelled so good and felt so alive in his arms... and was this thing really so different from his Cloudy?

"Zax, please..." Cloud hissed and wrapped his legs around the older man's hips, pulling their bodies together. Zax claimed his lips again, almost drawing blood, which only made the blond moan and writhe beneath him, making every moment before fulfillment all that more deliciously torturing. The Soldier had to pull away for a second to get completely rid of his trousers, but he returned to Cloud's waiting arms in a matter of heartbeats, and lifted the younger one's hips up to his lap, the thin legs to his shoulders. The blond frowned and bit his lower lip, unsure of what was happening. "Zax?"

"Shhh..." Zax hissed and leaned down to kiss Cloud's forehead, causing the blond to come into very close contact with his own knees. The Soldier didn't care, though, it had been so long, he was so hard it hurt. This... thing, in his arms, in his bed... it wasn't Cloud, it was just a thing Hojo had created. He could never see or touch the original again, he might as well take what he could from this copy, which could never be what he had lost. "This won't hurt... much..."

He wasn't violent enough to just push into the boy, although that was what he wanted to do. Closing his eyes, he slid one finger through Cloud's entrance, carefully stretching it. The blond made a small noise and bit his lip again, reaching out to touch Zax's face with the tips of his fingers.

"Don't." Without even opening his eyes, Zax caught the hand with his and before Cloud could react, roughly inserted another finger. There was no lubricant and it must have hurt some, for Cloud swallowed his words and closed his eyes, his whole body going tense. "Relax, Cloud. It won't feel bad for long..." he muttered and forced the blond wider.

Zax realized he'd need some sort of a lubricant, or they both would be in more pain than pleasure. He opened his violet eyes to look around, but even though he tried to avoid it, they wandered upon the small blond beneath him, and the fearful expression on his face. The Soldier stopped, freezing completely.

...he couldn't do this. Not to anyone. Not to anything. He pulled his fingers out and sat back, covering his eyes with a hand. "Shit... I'm sorry..."

"Z-Zax?" Cloud asked, his voice trembling. The dark-haired man could feel the blond move away from him but didn't dare to look up. Gods, what had he almost done?!

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you..." When he finally lifted his head, Cloud was under the covers again, looking at him, half afraid, half... curious? Zax shook his head and got up to pull his underwear back on.

"...it didn't hurt... that much." Cloud whispered when the Soldier wondered if the floor was too hard to sleep upon. He shook his head again and sat on the bed's edge, his back to the blond.

"I'm still sorry. Let's... let's just get some sleep, all right? We have to get up early tomorrow."

Cloud nodded, and Zax reached out to turn the light off before crawling under the covers, facing the room. After a few minutes he could feel the blond moving slightly on the bed, and a thin arm snaked its way over his waist as the blond snuggled closer. The Soldier sighed and closed his eyes, but it was hours later when he finally fell asleep.

* * *

Zax: "Why did you make a meanie out of me?"

Sephiroth: "Why wasn't I in this chapter?"

Cloud: "Why can't I GET ANY?"

Zax and Sephiroth: "…"

Me: "Why do I bother with you guys?"

All feedback appreciated very much!


	25. 2, Chapter Seven

As usual, I don't own anything you're about to read. I think. These things are tricky. But all the characters belong to the mighty Square.

Thank you thank you for the reviews! And for KMS for beta-reading again! I've got a couple of action-filled-ish chapters coming up for you...

* * *

**Chapter seven: ...three... two... one...**

-

"Why did you summon me? I though we had no more businesses together." His low voice boomed around the cavernous space. She just smiled.

"I know. But the one he trusts is becoming a menace again. And since I remember how much you enjoy chaos and mayhem, I thought you might like to take care of him."

"What did you have in mind?" he asked, and she told him.

He eyed the small woman for a moment before throwing his head back and laughing so that the space around them echoed with it even after his last words. Such deceit was just what he had expected from her. "Fine. I will do this because it amuses me. But you owe me one."

"My pleasure..." she whispered when the laughter finally died away, and the flapping of his large wings was just a memory.

* * *

"Nibelheim," Barret announced as the buggy stopped before the gate. They all got out of the car and stared at the town, not sure what to make of all of this.

They hadn't encountered any trouble on the way, which should have helped them relax some. But they all were tense because of what was ahead, and because most of them hadn't slept well. Even though the girls had had a nice evening, both Tifa and Aeris hadn't caught sleep until long after midnight, the fighter dreading seeing home again, and the flower girl worrying about her parents. Yuffie had slept well, clutching Cait like a plush toy, which the robot hadn't minded at all.

Barret and Cid had slept most of the night, but fitfully, waking every time they had dared to move on the bed, which had turned out to be narrower than it seemed. Nanaki had enjoyed the night by the fireplace, and Cloud had also slept peacefully. Zax had had nightmares and woken in the early hours of the morning, unable to sleep any more. Especially with the clone's hand still over his waist.

And now they were at Nibelheim, mere moments away from their encounter with Hojo. Or so they had thought.

Tifa shook her head in shock and took a few steps forward, her mouth opening and closing but making no sound. The last time she had seen her hometown, the image of it from her nightmares, was nothing what they saw now.

The whole town had been burned to the ground, with the exceptions of the mansion and the well. Everything had been black after the fire, the ground covered with soot, no sign of life anywhere. Now it was as if that horrible night had never happened. Houses stood, leaning against each other like always, looking like that was just how long they'd stood there. The town square was clean, a dog and a few children ran around it. Flowers had been planted on the front of the houses. Smoke rose from the chimneys, and the smell of freshly baked bread hung in the air.

Tifa just stared, still unable to say anything. Zax stood behind her, to her right, and scratched his neck. He had already seen the town like this on the night they had escaped, but later on he had thought that it had been just a hallucination. Cloud stood beside him, frowning and watching. Cid was shaking his head and, surprisingly enough, searching for a cigarette. The rest had not seen the town as it had been, but had heard that it had burned down. Towns could be restored, but all could sense that something wasn't right here.

"Wasn't this place supposed to have burned down? How have they built it back already, this fast?" Aeris said quietly, reluctant to break the silence that had fallen upon them.

"No, no you don't understand..." Tifa said, shaking her head, and turned to them. "This IS Nibelheim! It's not something that was built where Nibelheim used to be... this is the same Nibelheim I was born in! Everything's exactly as I remember it! The houses, the well, the flowers... I don't understand! It was all destroyed! Wasn't it?!" Almost in tears of despair she turned to Zax and Cloud. The blond just blinked and shrugged one shoulder. Zax nodded.

"Yeah. I came here after it was all over. Then again when we escaped. It was like this, then, but..."

"Why didn't you say anything?" the martial artist asked, her hands clenching into fists.

"Because... I really thought I was seeing things then. Hojo had messed with my mind... I didn't know what to expect when we'd get here," Zax explained, watching a child run after a colourful ball.

Tifa watched the houses and people intently, and suddenly broke into a run towards one of the bigger houses.

"Tif'! Wait!" Barret shouted, but the girl wouldn't stop. "Where's she goin'?"

"...home." Cloud said quietly, and stepped away from the Soldier and followed her. The rest followed him but stopped when he headed to a different house.

"I'll go with him, you find Tifa," Zax said and followed the blond. Cid decided to go with him, but the rest stepped into Tifa's home. Cait and Nanaki stayed out, watching the town and the mansion.

"Tif'? You here, girl?" Barret called out when they had quickly searched the ground floor. Not hearing an answer, he, Aeris and Yuffie headed upstairs. When they reached the second floor they could hear quiet sobbing. The leader of Avalanche stopped and turned to the girls, looking uncomfortable. "Uh, Aeris, why don't you go first..."

The flower girl nodded and walked towards the room the noises were coming from while Barret and Yuffie went to check the other room.

"Tifa? Are you here?" Aeris called out quietly before entering. It seemed like the room of a young girl, with heavy carpets and colourful curtains. Toys were placed on chairs and there were fresh flowers on a table, and a piano in the far end of the room, next to a bed. The fighter was lying on the bed, her head hidden in pillows. Aeris walked quietly to the bed and sat on the edge, stroking Tifa's hair gently.

After a moment the fighter lifted her head out of the pillow and spoke. "It's all just like I remember it. Even the piano, and the toys. Everything. But I saw it burn. Why have they done this? Who has done this? Who lives here now?" She sat up and wiped the rest of her tears away, seeming more furious than sad. She turned to Aeris and asked the biggest question on her mind. "Why?"

"I don't know. I don't understand any more of this than you do. But if there are really people living here now, someone must know something," the flower girl answered, hoping that she'd have more to give than just words.

Tifa nodded and tugged at her gloves. "Yes, you're right. And you know what?" She stood up and wiped away the last of her tears. "I'm going to go and find out just what's going on." With that she marched out of the room. Aeris followed her more slowly and pitied those who got in her way.

* * *

"Cloud?" Zax asked quietly when he and Cid entered the smaller house next to Tifa's. The blond stood in front of them in the hall, frozen to the spot and staring at something inside the house itself. The Soldier walked to his side and followed the gaze of the blue eyes, swallowing hard. "Oh..."

"...shit..." Cid muttered as he, too, recognized the woman who stood in front of the oven, humming to herself. "So she did survive..."

The woman hadn't noticed them but Cid's words hadn't been as quiet as he had presumed, and Ame Strife turned to the three men. First she just stared, turning so pale so quickly that Zax feared she might faint. Then he thought that he might faint himself when the woman forced a friendly smile on her face.

"Yes? Can I help you? Are you lost?"

Cloud took a step forward and she immediately took one away. "...mom?" the blond asked, reaching out with one hand. The woman flinched but the smile was still frozen on her face.

"I am sorry, but I don't know you... any on you. Could you please leave now, I'm afraid I am very busy."

"...but, mom, I..." Cloud's voice was quiet and pleading, but she just stared at them, expression completely emotionless.

"Cut the shit, woman, we all recognize you!" Cid said, a bit more harshly than he had intended. She took another step back and her eyes darted around the room, looking for a weapon.

"No, you are mistaken. I have lived here all my life, I've never met you before. Please leave now," Ame said as the door opened. Zax turned to look who it was and felt even fainter when a blond young man walked in and looked at them curiously.

"Mom? Everything all right?" the man called out and pushed through them. Cid's jaw dropped when she nodded eagerly.

"Yes, dear, everything's fine. These men were just leaving, weren't you?"

Cid swore and tried to reason with her, but Zax's attention was completely on Cloud. The blond was on the verge of tears and shaking, but seemed to accept her words. When she smiled lovingly to her new son, Cloud just turned around and walked out. The Soldier followed him, not looking back. Cid swore once more and slammed the door shut loudly behind him.

Once outside again, they soon spotted Tifa, talking with a stranger near the well. The rest of the Avalanche stood at the door of her house, listening in. The pilot walked straight to them, still muttering curses. Zax wrapped an arm around Cloud's shoulders and followed him.

"What's goin' on?" Cid asked.

Yuffie hissed him quiet. "Tif' is asking that guy the same question."

Barret stopped a man and started to talk with him as well. The others listened in, but Aeris turned away from them and walked to where Zax and Cloud stood, a bit away from them. The blond seemed to be in a world of his own but the Soldier's eyes wandered all over the small town square, and towards the mansion.

"That's where we have to go?" the flower girl said quietly, nodding her head towards the large building. Zax nodded.

"Yeah. That's the mansion. If Hojo's here, that's where he'll be. We'd better go soon, before he finds out we're here. Unless he already knows, of course..." he muttered, staring intently at the oldest building in town. Still, it looked new, compared to the rest of the town. That's how well the facade had been built. "You know, I don't get it. People know Nibelheim was destroyed. So why build it back exactly the way it was? What's the use? What's the point?"

Aeris shrugged and turned away from the mansion. The strangeness of the place was intriguing, but knowing that her parents might be held captive so close by distracted her. She just wanted to see them again, free them from Hojo's clutches. Never had she wished for another human being to die, but towards the professor she felt only hatred and contempt. She would be glad to see the world rid of him.

"It's no use, they're all brainwashed..." Barret's words woke both Aeris and Zax from their thoughts, and they turned to see that he and Tifa had returned to the others, both looking confused and frustrated. "They keep saying they've lived here all their lives, and that nuthin' happened here five years ago. No fire, no Sephiroth. And no one in the mansion."

"Has Shin-Ra PAID them to move here and pretend like this?!" Tifa almost shouted before Barret put a calming hand on her shoulder. Some of the townspeople threw scared looks in their direction, and they were already gathering, talking in small groups and pointing at them.

"I think we should get supplies if we need any, and head to the mansion. The sooner we get out of here, the better. If we stand here like this for long, Hojo or his goons will hear about it," Zax said, and the others nodded, grabbing their weapons.

"We have enough potions and spells, maybe we should just go?" Cait said nervously. He had been appointed to take care of their provisions by Barret, saying that the robot could at least be of some use.

"Well then, what are we waiting for?" Yuffie said, almost succeeding in keeping the shaking out of her voice. Cid patted her on the shoulder as they all turned to leave.

Chill ran up and down Zax's spine when they pushed the doors of the mansion open. The hinges had been oiled recently, so the door didn't make any noise. They all had their weapons ready, not knowing what would await them inside.

Townspeople gathered in front of the gate, whispering to each other, and stared at them. They seemed to fear and avoid the mansion as much as the real Nibelheimers had.

They were still going along the plan of offering Hojo Zax and Cloud in exchange for Ifalna and Gast. They doubted it would work, but maybe they could get close to the professor under a truce-flag. They didn't know what to expect, if the professor would believe them or not, how many assistants and bodyguards he had and so on, if he would have them attack or if he preferred to talk. Expect the worst, Zax had said. That was exactly what Avalanche did as they stepped in.

* * *

Cait watched their backs as the others went in first. At least Barret and Cid seemed to think that he was completely useless, and some sort of a traitor as well, but apparently he was trusted enough to take care of the most useless member of their party. Cloud walked beside him, staring straight ahead, his eyes glowing a bit in the dim building. The blond was both annoyed and relieved about being left behind like this. Zax had explained that he wouldn't be much use in a battle, and that they wanted to keep him as far from Hojo as possible. So Cloud obeyed and stayed back with Cait.

They got up to the second floor without meeting much resistance, only a few starving monsters. They were quickly taken care of, and while the others went to check the room with the hidden door, Cloud and Cait waited in the room next to it. The robot cat was standing at the door, looking across the short hallway to the other door where Yuffie stood, ready to give him a sign when it was safe. Cloud sat on the dusty bed, becoming more and more nervous as memories assaulted him. The voices were unusually quiet now, not distracting him in any way, so when the new but familiar voice spoke beside his ear, Cloud's attention was riveted to it. "Hello, Cloud."

The blond just about jumped on the bed and turned around, his blue eyes going wide when he recognized the voice and the face that came with it. A surprised sound escaped his lips and even though his mind told him there was nothing to fear from this man, he still inched away.

"V-vincent? But..." then he remembered the last time he had seen the ex-Turk, and come into close contact with the barrel of his gun. Cloud swallowed and glanced over at Cait.

"Don't worry, he can't hear me. I'm not here to hurt you. On the contrary. I can help you. You want your mother back, don't you? You want everything to be the way it once was?"

Cloud just stared for a moment. This wasn't the same Vincent who had shot him, that one had been mutilated by Hojo. This one was as the ex-Turk had been the first time they had met, only without the red cape. The metal claw was also gone, leaving a perfect human hand. The blond blinked and swallowed when the black-haired man cocked his head in askance, and remembered what he had been asked. "Y-yes?"

"Before Hojo hurt you, and me. Before Sephiroth and Zax came. Before all this happened."

"Yes." Cloud's voice was stronger now as he fell into the blood-red depths of Vincent's eyes. "But... what should I do?"

The ex-Turk laughed, which should have made Cloud suspicious, knowing that the dark man never laughed. But in stead it just made him fall deeper into the man's eyes, made him trust the one who had been the first, no, the only one he had dared to trust in so long. No one else. There had never been anyone else he had trusted like he knew he could trust Vincent. They all just lied to him, so that they could use him, make fun of him. Only Vincent cared. He was the only one Cloud should trust.

"Don't worry, I'll be with you and tell you what to do, all right?"

He couldn't tell which one of the voices made him trust the man, or if it was Vincent himself, but he listened and obeyed when the red-eyed man told him not to speak of this to anyone. He didn't even wonder where Vincent went when Cait told him to follow, and he got up from the bed and walked out of the door.

* * *

Reeve was unaware of the quiet conversation in the bedroom, being too busy conversing with president Shin-Ra. Rufus had entered his office a moment ago to see how his spying was going and to hear what he had found out. The blond man kept telling him to get Cait Sith to stay closer to Avalanche. Reeve tried to explain that he had been ordered to take care of the other 'bargaining chip', but Rufus refused to listen to his explanations.

"But I can't just leave him! It'll make everyone even more suspicious of Cait than they already are!" Reeve argued when Reno leaned closer to the monitors and stared intently at one of them. So far the Turk had just been standing in the corner, grinning, but now the redhead seemed almost livid.

"The murderer..."

Reeve and Rufus turned just in time to see Cloud get up as the two went to join the rest.

"What are you waiting for, hurry up!" Rufus ordered and stood back up, lifting an eyebrow at the Turk. "Murderer?"

"That's the bastard who killed Tseng," Reno explained as they both leaned over Reeve's shoulders again, watching through the cameras.

* * *

The door to the spiraling staircase was open, and Barret and Zax stood in front of the opening, arguing silently.

"We might be able to surprise them," The Soldier whispered, but the gun-armed man shook his head.

"We're here to bargain with the man. I say we let him know we're coming." Barret's voice was lowered, but Zax cringed anyway, feeling that their words would float straight into Hojo's ears. Still, he had to try to talk some sense into the man.

"So he can have all his assistants ready to shoot us the minute we get down there?"

"You said it yourself, Soldier-boy, he might be curious enough to let us live."

"Emphasis on 'might'. He might as well kill us straight away. He's mad."

"Getting cold feet?"

"If you remember, I was against this plan from the beginning. If we have a chance of surprising him, we might as well take it!"

The rest listened to the argument, anxious to be on their way already. The mansion was an unnerving place to be in, as they were all fast learning. The monsters here weren't the same as they were outside, they seemed somehow mutated, more insane and violent. And the whole house seemed to be full of... well, what they could only call ghosts. Strange gusts of winds, small areas in the rooms that were inexplicably cold, the general feeling of hostility and pain all over the place. No wonder the villagers had always avoided it.

Then there was of course the mad scientist in the basement. For all they knew he might be watching them right now, thinking of the best way to get rid of them. Or worse, abusing and torturing his prisoners.

"Hurry up and make up your minds!" Yuffie hissed to Barret and Zax when Cait and Cloud entered the room. The blond paled and twitched, looking down at the dark stains on the floor. The Soldier noticed this and looked down as well, remembering all too well the smell of blood that had filled the room five years ago. He only now remembered how the wall had been torn open. Now it was fixed, the wallpaper the same as on the other walls, looking as old as the rest. His memory of that day was sketchy at best after he had been shot, but he did remember watching, as if half asleep, how Vincent had drowned into that demon.

"Oh, hell..." For a moment he thought that was exactly where he had ended up.

"Please, let's just go," Aeris begged, holding her staff, ready to fight. If anyone else had said those words it would have been different, but when the most peaceful one of them spoke so, no matter how personal her reasons, Zax and Barret nodded grimly and turned towards the staircase.

"We go down an' then let the bastard know we're here," Barret said and started the descend.

"He probably knows already..." Zax muttered back and waited for the Avalanche to follow their leader, stepping inside with Cloud and Cait.

* * *

She had wanted him to return to the North Crater, but Sephiroth wanted to witness this. If Hojo was to meet his destiny, then should he not be here to watch? After all, he was the one the madman had hurt the most, even though it only had been to prepare him for his destiny. He knew that she would not approve of this, so he'd kept his plans of destroying the professor hidden from her. She was somehow attached to the slimy man, and then dared to accuse him of silly emotions when he questioned anything that she said.

He didn't care so much for personal revenge anymore. Not when he knew that the whole world would soon bow down to him. What was one petty act of revenge when compared to the fear and suffering of hundreds of thousands? Still, he wanted to see this. And Zackery. The only one he still trusted, the only one he ever wanted to trust amongst these worms. Maybe... maybe he could even talk with the Soldier, take him to the Crater... make him a general or something. An executioner. Or just... someone who understood him. Someone to comfort him. Someone to be there, someone who didn't judge him, someone who... someone who really... who really... loved him?

She would put it down as the weakness of humans, as always when he dared to show any other feeling besides bloodlust. But she might let him keep Zackery, if he could convince her that... what would she believe? That he just wanted to see how much the man would hurt when his whole race and world were destroyed in front of his eyes, and to be completely and utterly unable to even move a finger to help them? Yes, she'd like that. She might even enjoy it as well. But... he didn't want to see Zackery hurt so. He didn't want to see the pain in those violet eyes, not when he was so used to see them laugh.

/Son, where are you?/

Oh, right. He had learned to shield his thoughts from her, but if he did it for long periods of time she got suspicious. Sephiroth let the shields down and let her see the basement of the Shin-Ra mansion in Nibelheim through his eyes.

The place was the same as ever. During the last five years he had recalled his very early childhood, the times spent down here, and he could swear that it was still mostly the same. The computers were smaller and faster, took less space, but the extra space was taken up by more books and piles of paper. The laboratory was a mess, but he knew that Hojo knew exactly where everything was.

On the back wall were the two glass cylinders. They were now empty of Mako, but the Cetra woman was in one, her husband sitting just outside it, leaning against the glass. He was chained to the wall by his ankle, but the chain was long enough that he could move around the room. Sephiroth knew that Hojo had forced the man to help with his experiments. The ones he performed on the Cetra woman. He had to admire the professor's evil streak. Jenova liked it as well, the way she laughed merrily.

/Wonderful! But where is he?/

Sephiroth left the two prisoners whispering to each other and walked noiselessly through the hallway to Hojo's study. He was invisible, but wondered if the professor would still be able to somehow sense him.

Hojo was unchanged as well, maybe his hairline was a bit higher than previously, and a few new lines crossed his pale face. His madness had certainly only grown. The man sat at his desk, going through a pile of papers and muttering to himself. Sephiroth could see two assistants, even though they must have thought they were completely hidden from sight. There were ten of them, all in all. Only two actually knew anything about science, the rest were just muscle and weapons. Clearly Hojo was expecting the Avalanche. Or someone; how was he to know how many people the scientist had pissed off? Probably many.

Jenova laughed in his mind, long and hard. Sephiroth smirked when Hojo twitched and lifted his head, looking around suspiciously. This promised to be great fun!

* * *

By the time they reached the bottom of the stairs there was a welcome committee waiting for them. Six men, armed with two guns and material, and all at least as big as Barret. The guns were pointed at them but the men just gestured for them to go on.

"The professor's waiting," one said, making Barret throw a glance at Zax. The Soldier frowned back and swallowed hard. Why oh why had he agreed to this? How could he have forgotten already how much he hated this place?

The armed men started to guide them towards the laboratory, one in front of them, four at their sides and one at the back. Cid got poked in the back with a gun when he tried to take out a cigarette and his lighter.

Barret and Aeris, walking first after Hojo's underling, were almost at the door when Cloud suddenly grabbed Zax's hand, just about making the Soldier stumble. Cait bumped into them, and the gunman swore.

"Keep moving!"

"Zax, I don't want to!" Cloud just about squeaked, his voice high and trembling. The man laughed at him and poked them in the back with his gun, but Zax wrapped an arm around the blond's shoulders.

"Don't worry, Cloud. Nothing's gonna happen to you, I'll make sure of it," the Soldier whispered.

'And I am here as well...' Vincent's voice was quiet but clear, even amused, and calmed him more than Zax's words. Cloud clutched the Soldier's arm and let himself be taken into the laboratory.

"Aeris, no!" Professor Gast groaned when he saw his daughter escorted in. Ifalna raised her head and lifted both hands to cover her mouth and tears. The flower girl wanted to run to them, hold them and take them out of here, but could only reach out a hand before they were escorted through the narrow corridor to Hojo's study. Soon they all stood in front of the large desk, and the mad scientist was graceful enough to notice them.

* * *

Sephiroth stood behind the professor, his arms crossed over his chest, and watched with a small smile on his lips. The two men were still hidden, and the six who had escorted Avalanche here moved so that they blocked the door completely, watching the group from back and both sides.

Here they all were. The gun-armed man, Barret Wallace, whom he only knew from Avalanche. He could remember the short girl from Nibelheim, their guide to the reactor. The even smaller ninja he knew nothing of. Hojo's research specimen, Red XIII, whom the group called Nanaki. Protector of Cosmo Canyon. The flower girl, Aeris, determined to help her parents and the planet. The robot thing. He thought he had seen it before, long ago, but couldn't remember where and when. Captain Highwind from Nibelheim. How could he forget that man?

...Zackery. So many unexpected emotions ran through him at the sight of the violet-eyed Soldier. Sephiroth was slightly surprised when he recognized longing as the strongest one. He knew he had missed the man's companionship, but hadn't realized that he'd missed it so much. Tearing his eyes away, he turned them to the last one. The blond puppet. Who was staring straight at him. Sephiroth blinked and cocked his head. There was no way Cloud could see him... right? He made sure that his spells were up and turned to the blond again. Still staring. But it seemed that the blond wasn't about to say anything, no matter if he was able to see him or not. He peered closely at the clone, sensing something odd about him. No, around him. What was going on?

Sephiroth concentrated and squinted, just about making out a shadow behind the blond. Or maybe it was just a piece of the eternal gloom of the mansion? One of the ghosts here?

Sephiroth blinked. Had the shadow just flashed a white-fanged grin at him?

Hojo was talking already. He kept staring at the darkness, but turned his attention to the reality, listening in.

* * *

"How kind of you to bring young Aeris here. And even my escaped specimens! Although... I doubt you will hand all of them to me willingly. So what really brings you here?" Hojo said, his smile lighting up even his dark eyes. Aeris shuddered and the bodyguards got ready to attack when Barret suddenly took a step forward.

"We're here for Gast and his wife." The gun-armed man eyed the bodyguards, lifting his hands a bit.

Hojo laughed. "And you thought I'll just let you have them, like that? Don't be stupid. And don't insult my intelligence either."

"We offer you a trade," Barret continued, his voice steady and serious enough to make Zax wonder if the man really was ready to trade him and Cloud. "Your 'specimens' for th' two of them." He pointed at the Soldier and Cloud, Zax glaring back, both to make Hojo believe them and because he still resented this plan.

The professor raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "Oh really? You offer me back what is mine? A failure and one who's next to useless as a specimen? For an educated professor and the chance to research a true Cetra?" He leaned back in his chair. "I think not. I told you not to insult my intelligence. You came here, with that idiotic plan, thinking I will buy it and let you down here so you can bloody well kill me and take my experiments away?!" Halfway through his words Hojo had stood up and now leaned towards them, his fists on the top of his desk. The smile was gone, the man at the verge of full-blown rage.

Zax cleared his throat, seeing that the professor had managed to intimidate the others into silence. "Worked so far, hasn't it?"

* * *

Sephiroth fought the urge to slap his forehead and laugh. 'Yes, way to go, Zackery, wasn't that smart?' How had the man survived his first assignment as a Soldier? Hojo was just about steaming through his ears but quickly gathered himself.

"Always had a sense of humour, didn't you? Well, we'll see if you can keep it through a few more years in the tank?!"

Zackery twitched at that and went serious, exchanging looks with the leader of Avalanche. Sephiroth couldn't believe that they had come here unprepared to fight and wondered what their plan would be.

"We knew that it wouldn't be easy... but we couldn't let you do what you want with them!" Barret growled to Hojo, looking down at the professor.

'Take it... use it... you know how...'

Words? From where? How did he know that voice? Sephiroth's eyes snapped back to the clone and the shadow behind it, and went wide when he realized that the shadow had spoken. He had heard it speak, and saw it extend a hand towards the blond. Cloud's eyes finally fell from him, to stare at his own hand. Sephiroth followed the gaze and frowned when a gun materialized there. What was going on here?

'...you remember how I taught you... don't you... even though we didn't have a gun...'

He watched Cloud's pale hand hold the weapon tight, his thumb pulling the safety back. The blond nodded slightly, and when Sephiroth raised his eyes again he could swear that the blue eyes glowed red for a moment.

Someone was controlling Cloud! Someone was -he couldn't believe it!- controlling his puppet! HIS PUPPET! What insolence! Sephiroth wanted to fry the shadow where it stood, but curiosity stopped him. He still knew not what was going on.

'...wait a bit longer... then... use it... I'll tell you when, and who...'

* * *

"What insolence!" Hojo shouted, turning his back to Avalanche and shaking his head. Where had those words sprang to his mind from? Never mind... he pushed his chair away and walked to the front of his desk, to face the Avalanche. "I should applaud your bravery, but personally, I see it more as stupidity. But, never mind." He stopped in front of Nanaki, looking down at the red beast. "I get my specimens back, and a few extra ones as well! Oh we will make history of science, my pretties..." he continued on, smiling sweetly at Zax, and stopped in front of Cloud. "I think I can even make something out of you. Gods know you were nothing but a failure. You wouldn't even come to me when I called. Just a broken puppet."

Cloud frowned. "Am not! He told me not to come."

"Who, the voices in your head?" Hojo sneered and moved to walk away. "Don't make me think you were worth something after all. Just a failed experiment."

"Don't call me that!" Cloud shouted. Zax raised a hand to hold the blond still but froze when Cloud's previously hidden right arm came up, holding a gun towards the back of Hojo's head. "I am real! And not a failure!"

'Not him! You're supposed to shoot the Soldier!'

* * *

Sephiroth's eyes went wide when he heard the shadow's words. Whatever it was, it wanted Cloud to kill Zackery? Why? He watched the blue eyes flash red again for a second, and the clone hesitated enough that it lowered the gun. Hojo turned back at that moment, noticed the gun and started to laugh. All eight bodyguards were ready to attack Cloud, and the Avalanche stared in shock, except for the ninja who had covered her eyes with her hands.

"You want to shoot me?!" Hojo laughed and threw his arms open.

'Don't!' The shadow's voice was urgent and almost shaking. Sephiroth smirked. He was damned if he'd have to watch Zackery die because of some upstart shadow!

"Do it!"

Cloud's eyes went wide, as did Hojo's, from the sound of his voice. The bodyguards still pointed their guns at Cloud but looked around wildly, trying to see where the bodiless voice had come from.

Cloud was HIS puppet, damn it! NOT Hojo's, NOT some shadow's, HIS! And he obeyed perfectly, lifted the gun-

'NO!' The shadow tried one more time.

--pulled the trigger--

/Stop him, son! We need Hojo!/ She screeched in his mind, enraged.

POW!!


	26. 2, Chapter Eight

Listen very carefully, I shall say this only once: I don't own 'em. ;) More babbling at the end of the chapter!

I'm trying to cut down swearing (going very well, judging by the beginning of the chapter...), so Cid will have to suffer too!

Cid: "Aww, shit, man!"

Me: "Shut up, you at least have your cigarettes."

Cid: "Damn straight!"

* * *

**Chapter eight: From the frying pan...**

-

"...Fuck."

"...Your way with words never ceases to amaze me, Reno..." Rufus muttered, standing next to the Turk, both of them leaning over Reeve's shoulders. All three watched, eyes wide, at the hell that had just broken loose in the basement of Shin-Ra's mansion in Nibelheim.

"Where... where did he get the gun?!" the executive said, his voice higher than usual.

"Who cares! Did he hit Hojo?" Rufus answered, stretching his neck to see better. "Can't you turn that stupid robot a bit? I can't see!" The president didn't seem overly grieved at the thought of losing the scientist.

"Uh, well, there is a dead man lying on top of it, sir... but..." Reeve abandoned the mog's controls and concentrated on the small cat.

* * *

Cait pushed its little head out from underneath one of Hojo's bodyguards. Its crown was gone, fur wet with blood, but it was still in one piece, which was more than could be said for the room and most of the people in it.

Everything had happened so fast and everything was still happening so fast that Cait had a hard time telling who was still alive. In the same second the bullet had left Cloud's gun and entered Hojo's lower chest, the bodyguards had started towards the blond. They couldn't shoot, not with their boss still standing there, shielding his attacker, both of them staring at the spreading, red stain. Either Hojo had told them to take Avalanche as prisoners or they were afraid of hitting their comrades, because the two armed men had refrained from using their guns. Barret had had no such restrictions; he had opened fire the second Zax had reached out and grabbed Cloud, pulling the blond back. The Soldier had screamed for someone to get Hojo, to kill him, and since he was still shouting it while fighting unarmed with one of the bodyguards, it was probable that the madman was still alive.

Cait jumped on the desk and looked around, showing the three men behind its eyes the whole chaos.

The man Barret had first shot had fallen on the mog, pinning it down. He was keeping two of the men at bay, pointing his gun at them while the others fought around him. Yuffie and Aeris fought one, the ninja's throwing weapons useless in such close quarters, as was Aeris' staff. Nanaki had one pinned to the floor, but the man was fighting the beast valiantly. Zax was all over his victim, the blind rage which he fought with a scary sight. Tifa was taking her time with her opponent, the man unable to use his gun with a broken arm. Cid's spear was also useless, but the man had no trouble with the last of the eight. And in the middle of it stood Cloud, staring at something. Cait blinked and followed the blue eyes, turning around but seeing nothing but bookshelves. There was nothing there worth such a devoted look.

* * *

This time Sephiroth returned the stare, lifting his hands up to his hips.

"Well done. He's still alive, but I won't certainly mind if he suffers. Now. There are two more men, coming here. The fight isn't over yet."

He watched Cloud nod slowly and smirked. The shadow was gone, it had simply disappeared. He had blocked her from his mind again, but could feel Jenova's burning anger at what had happened. He didn't quite understand it. What did they need Hojo for anymore? The man had lived way past his usefulness. Wasn't she the one who preached to him how useless these mortals were? Why get this upset over something like Hojo?

"Who was it who told you to shoot?" Sephiroth tried, although he was fairly sure that he wouldn't get an answer.

Cloud only shrugged and bent down to pick up the gun which he'd dropped when Zax had pulled him out of harm's way. Sephiroth kept one eye on him and the other on Zax. The Soldier was just finishing his opponent. The others were winning as well, but only Barret and Cloud seemed to be without any injury.

Sephiroth left his spot behind the desk and walked to where the clone stood. The others were too busy to hear his voice, and his body was still hidden with a spell. He gave the bleeding professor only a quick glance, taking care to step on his fingers. Hojo shrieked and twitched in pain, but Sephiroth ignored it.

"Don't use it unless I tell you to. Do NOT obey anyone else but me. Understand?" he said as he was facing Cloud. The blond had to look up to meet his eyes.

"Yes."

"You ever hurt Zackery, I'll make whatever Hojo did to you look like a picnic. Understand?" he wasn't sure that the blond wasn't still under the shadow's control. If he'd ever find out who that had been, who had ordered Zackery's death, he'd... well if it was someone on the Planet, Sephiroth would surely end up punishing him along with the rest of the world. But it would be more satisfying to do it personally.

"...Yes."

"...Cloud?" Just then, Zackery stepped to the clone's side and peered at the blue eyes with a worried expression. "You all right?" The violet eyes rose to catch up with the rest of the fight, and the Soldier patted Cloud's shoulder quickly before running to help Aeris and Yuffie with their opponent. Both puppet and master followed him with their eyes.

"...take care of him, Cloud. He may be strong but he still needs someone... we all do..." the last words were not much more than a whisper, Cloud barely caught them as he turned back.

"...Sephiroth?" But the man had disappeared from his sight. All he saw was Barret questioning and threatening his two captives. Around the blond the fight was ending, and his companions were already healing themselves. And Hojo-

"WHAT did you just SAY?!"

Cid's enraged shout made them all stop what they were doing. Aeris looked up from healing a large wound on Yuffie's leg while blood still trickled to her own eyes from a cut on her forehead. Barret pushed his captives against the wall and turned to see what was going on. Cait turned to watch the pilot as well, ears turning to hear every word. Nanaki and Tifa kept each other standing as the fighter continued to call out the healing power of her materia. Zax moved closer to Cloud when he realized that Cid's anger was aimed towards the blond.

"Cid? What's wrong?" the Soldier asked, almost unconsciously placing himself between the pilot and Cloud.

Cid's upper body was covered with blood, probably his opponents as much as his own. This made the pilot look even angrier when he took a few steps closer and glared at the Soldier. "Piss off, Zax, if you know what's good for you! I was talkin' to him!" He pointed at Cloud. Barret turned to the two men and Aeris back to healing but they all listened very carefully.

Cloud blinked, looking confused when Cid stepped even closer and poked him in the chest. "I saw you. You were talkin' to someone, weren't you? And then I heard you say his name. Sephiroth. Is he here?"

"Sephiroth?!" Cait suddenly exclaimed, with a voice that sounded different from his normal voice. Cid turned to him, now, but both Cloud and Cait were momentarily saved from the pilot's wrath when they heard a scream from the laboratory.

"Mother!" Aeris shouted when she recognized the voice and jumped up, running out of the room.

"Wait! Damn it!" Zax called out and would have ran after her if Cloud's words hadn't frozen him in place.

"Hojo had two more men besides the eight here."

"Shit!" Barret roared and bumped the two survivor's heads together hard enough to knock them out.

"All of you, come out with your hands up, or the lady and the professor get it!"

"...Barret, 'shit' is the understatement of the year..." Tifa muttered, pointing to where Hojo should have been. Only the blood remained, to prove that the professor had been injured.

* * *

Sephiroth had left the study, but not the mansion. He had watched as the last two bodyguards had entered the laboratory and taken Gast hostage. That had made the Cetra scream, and in a matter of seconds the flower girl had come running. Without even her staff! Really, at times like these he could understand why Jenova considered humans and their emotions utterly useless. What good was the urge to help others if it meant you placed yourself inches from your death?

So now the two armed men had both Gast and her daughter. The glass cylinders were strong enough to repel bullets, or they wouldn't be able to handle the pressure from the amount of Mako kept in them. The Cetra was safe, but looking at her Sephiroth wondered what would be left of her sanity if she'd have to watch her husband and only child die in front of her. Probably not much. Hojo must have already performed some experiments on her, when one remembered that he had had the woman captive in Midgar as well. Most people didn't handle Hojo's experiments well.

It took a moment after the man had called out his threat, but the 'saviors' soon marched out to the laboratory single file, hands held up with the exception of the red beast. Even the silly robot cat and the mog it rode on both held their paws up.

"Where's the professor?" the shorter bodyguard demanded, pointing a gun in the captive's direction. The larger one had a death grip on Gast's shoulder and Aeris' upper arm.

Zackery and the leader of Avalanche looked at each other.

"Well, we don't know. After we SHOT him once, he ran off like the rat he is..." the Soldier said with a mock-worried tone. Sephiroth closed his eyes and sighed. He had felt Hojo teleport away after he'd left the study. Well, at least mother would be pleased.

"You what?!" The bodyguard turned his gun to point at Zackery. A mistake on his part, but at least Sephiroth understood what his old second in command had had in mind.

The bodyguard seemed angry enough to shoot, so Sephiroth decided to abandon his secrecy and pulled out the Masamune. The weapon was as invisible as he was, but they all heard the quiet, cold noise it made, sliding out of the scabbard. Then it became visible, although only because of the blood that covered it as the long weapon drove through the man and out his chest. The bodyguard was too shocked to pull the trigger, and then it was already too late as his hands went limp and the gun fell.

Aeris screamed in horror, the bloody blade less than two feet from her face, but had sense enough to punch the other bodyguard in the stomach as the man's hold on her loosened for a moment. Her father followed suit and elbowed the man's face. The others were frozen in place and could only stare as the red blade turned and withdrew slowly, and the dead man slumped on the ground. Faster than their eyes could even register, the sword turned and cut the other bodyguards head off.

Aeris crawled quickly out of the way as the body fell and threw herself to her father's arms. The man laughed and cried, holding her tight. They were oblivious to the fact that the red blade still hovered in the air, mesmerizing the other living occupants of the room.

Only when Highwind's shaking hands managed to start a cigarette did the spell break.

"What... what... what..." Yuffie stuttered, her grey eyes wide, staring at the sword. Sephiroth smirked. She was the only one able to say something, and this was the best she could do? With a shake of his head, he let the spells go, amused by the surprised looks and gasps his appearance caused.

"Se... Seph...?" Zax managed to whisper eventually and pushed Yuffie and Nanaki out of his way, ignoring all else as he walked to the other side of the lab, to stand before his General. He didn't even notice that Cloud was following him like a shadow.

Sephiroth looked down at the man who had been his best friend. Since they had become friends it had always annoyed him that he had to look down at the other man, but now it only seemed to emphasize the distance between them.

Earlier, in the study, he had realized how much he had missed the Soldier, but now he pulled his emotions tight under control, not letting anything show on his face. He half waited Zackery to punch him or call him a monster, but a sob and a tight hug were what he got. Sephiroth felt his eyes grow wide and didn't know what to do.

Zackery was actually hugging him, arms around his neck, face hidden between them, against his chest. And the Soldier was sobbing. Uh. The god-in-waiting blinked a few times and glared at Cloud who stood behind Zackery, staring up expectantly. Behind the clone, the members of Avalanche seemed to be in a state of shock again.

Confused by this unexpected show of affection, Sephiroth carefully raised his free hand and patted Zax on the back. Barret shook his head, looking disgusted, and went to help Aeris free her father. Cid scratched the back of his neck, grabbed Tifa who was fuming with rage, and went to see if they could get Ifalna free. Nanaki sat down, keeping his good eye on Cait. The small cat was making strange little noises, like people were fighting deep inside it. Yuffie still stared.

Gast was freed and they had all moved to figure out how to get the tank to open when Zax finally pulled away. He gained their attention again when he hit Sephiroth in the face with a tight fist.

"You fucking bastard! Where the hell did you go? Why the fuck did you leave us here? You knew! You knew and you just left us! You fuckin-" Sephiroth grabbed his hand when it came up again to deliver another punch. The first one had left a dark mark on his pale skin, but it was already healing out of sight.

"That is enough, Zackery."

"WHY?!" The Soldier still demanded. Barret, Cid and Tifa seemed ready to attack the silver-haired man if Zax only asked them to. Cloud, on the other hand, seemed ready to defend him.

What was he supposed to say? Because I feared you'd treat me like the monster I am? Because I was scared? Because I was manipulated? Because you mean nothing to me? Because I was pitying myself too much to care about anything? Because I wanted you to get a taste of what I lived with for years? Because I couldn't come back here?

"...I don't know, Zackery. I am sorry." He whispered the words so that only the Soldier heard them. He couldn't bear the pain in the violet eyes, the hurt and abandonment, the yearning to be told that everything was going to be all right. So he looked away.

* * *

Why couldn't they leave him be? Why did they always have to torture him? Hadn't he suffered enough?

He didn't know if he even existed anymore. He must have, otherwise he couldn't wonder that, right? He still lived, in this limbo between consciousness and oblivion. In the eternal darkness, broken only by the occasional memory that flowed by, awakening some half-forgotten horror.

The memories were worse than the 'visits'. When one of his torturers came calling, he could always ignore the pain and humiliations. But dreams and memories, they stuck, they replayed again and again in his mind, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get rid of them.

Sometimes the demon would bring him out of it, to the world, back to existence. Never completely there, but close enough to witness what chaos the beast wrought on its victims. It was so real that he could even taste the blood and fear in its mouth. Afterwards, the memories of it would haunt him for what seemed like centuries.

Time. That was one thing he had plenty of, although he couldn't tell for sure if it had been a week or fifty years of this emptiness and pain. Same as with his long sleep. The nothingness was similar to that, although this exile was self-chosen. He himself had decided to leave the world, to not care anymore. His heart had been broken completely, his mind torn apart. He didn't care anymore what happened to the world, everyone he had cared about had died and suffered just by being near him. The world could die for all he cared, but that wouldn't end his suffering. He had committed so many crimes, such horrendous acts of violence and horror that he could try to atone for them for the rest of forever and still feel not worthy of moving on to whatever waited beyond.

Something approached again. He pulled his torn being into a small ball, hoping it would be ignored by whatever it was. But this was his own personal hell. Whatever approached him here was bad, and they never went by. They never left him alone.

'Come with me...'

* * *

No one spoke for a while, only whispers when they figured out how to get the door open. Zax turned away from them all to dry his tears and gain control of his emotions again. Sephiroth stood behind him, not moving, just staring straight ahead. He didn't know what he had expected when he'd meet his General again. He hadn't really expected to meet him here. He had hoped so, but... maybe he should have hoped against it.

Zax twitched when someone touched his bare arm gently. He turned his head a bit, half expecting to see Sephiroth. But it was only Cloud, looking up at him with those blue eyes.

"...Zax? Are you all right?" the blond asked quietly, and the Soldier nodded, smiling slightly and lifting a hand to grab the thin fingers for a second.

"Yeah. Let's do what we came here for and get out."

Cloud nodded and followed when Zax turned to join the others at the tank. But the Soldier stopped when walking past his General.

"I'm not done with you yet, Seph. When we're out of here, I'm gonna open such a can of whoopass on you..."

Sephiroth chuckled, looking relieved. "I'm sure you'd enjoy that, Zackery." The camaraderie was still there, somewhere, and it felt for a moment like the old days. But nothing was the same anymore, not for either of them.

They had to destroy the lock mechanism completely before getting the door to open, but the reunion of the small family was worth it. All three cried and held each other tight, the horrors of the last weeks and months momentarily forgotten. At least, until Cait got himself back in order and started to speak, but not with his normal voice.

"Sephiroth!" the small cat called out jubilantly. Barret and Tifa froze, recognizing the new voice immediately. Sephiroth cocked his head, and with the exception of Aeris and her parents, everyone turned to stare at the cat when the president of most of the world spoke through it.

"It is Rufus Shin-Ra! I have searched for you long, Sephiroth!"

"I knew it! I fucking knew it!" Barret roared and pointed his gun arm at the cat.

"Not so fast, Wallace! Not if you want to see your pretty little daughter again!" Rufus' voice was as happy as the little cat's face, which made the words sound even worse. Barret paled and staggered.

"Marlene! What've you done to my girl?!"

"Nothing... yet," the cat announced and turned back to Sephiroth.

"Don't you just ignore me you son of a bitch!" The dark man was shaking with rage, resembling a volcano about to erupt.

"Newsflash, Wallace: I just did. Twice. Now Sephiroth! I have an offer for you which I think you'll find quite interesting!"

Sephiroth snorted. "I doubt it, Shin-Ra. You have nothing that could possibly interest me. I loathed your father and the only reason you still breathe is that you're not worth even the trip to Midgar, upstart. The higher you place yourself, the harder your fall will be." The silver-haired man turned his back pointedly at the little cat, ignoring it completely.

"Where is Marlene? What have you done with her and Shera?" Tifa demanded, one hand on Barret's arm to keep the man from attacking the robot. She suspected that there was no one in the room who wouldn't want to tear the cat apart, but right now it was the only link to Marlene and Shera that they had.

"They are safe, don't worry," Cait said with his normal voice, but it was muffled quickly and they could hear angry words exchanged.

"But Sephiroth..." Rufus continued soon, "I offer you the world! To become my General, my second in command! We shall rule the world by fear!"

At that, Sephiroth burst out laughing, giving proof that he could easily rule by fear, all by himself. "You fool! I already HAVE the world! The continued existence of your race is but an inconvenience, one surely and swiftly taken care of."

He had kept his mental shields up and strong since the moment Hojo had been shot, for he could sense her anger. But now she was positively clawing at them, demanding entrance to his mind. With a sigh, Sephiroth let Jenova in. Her enraged words completely conquered whatever Rufus thought would make him change his mind.

/I've had enough of this, son! Return here IMMEDIATELY! You have ruined my plans! If Hojo won't survive, we cannot fulfill our destinies!/

Sephiroth twitched slightly and frowned. He didn't like being ordered around, but when she commanded him like that, he couldn't fight it. With a sigh he let her know that he was coming.

"-can't just abandon your duties to the Shin-Ra empire, you-"

Sephiroth interrupted the Rufus-cat which was almost humorously waving its paws up and down, and turned to his old friend. "Zackery. We'll meet later, I hope. Watch your back."

"Later? Whaddaya mean? Seph!" Zax jumped towards him as the silver-haired man began to disappear in front of them. Barret swore and shot at Sephiroth, the bullets going through his body and hitting the computers and wall.

"Don't let him get away!" the leader of Avalanche shouted, but it was too late. Sephiroth was gone. That left only Cait Sith to vent his anger on.

"He just... he just ignored me, like I was nothing!" Rufus shouted through the cat, voice full of disbelief and admiration.

"Newsflash, jackass: that's exactly what you are!" Cid growled out, pointing at the robot with his spear. But the president sounded unimpressed.

"Well, I'll just have to think of something else... Reeve, you take care of your robot, and report to me later!"

"Reeve?!" Zax got over his shock and finally let his hand down, the hand that had tried to keep his best friend beside him. "Reeve, from urban development? You're behind Cait?!"

"Shin-Ra shit! Where's my girl?!"

"I-I'm... sorry. I'm sorry, you all. Marlene and Shera are safe. They are being held as captive in case you guys do something stupid, but they are taken care of. Don't worry about them, I make sure personally that they have everything they need. It's the least I can do," the little cat spoke quietly, its head hanging, the usually happy eyes not daring to look up.

"Barret..." Aeris had gotten up and walked to stand beside the gun armed man. Her parents were still holding each other, beside the tank. The flower girl lifted a comforting hand to Barret's arm. "I believe him, for now. Please, let's get out of here. We can talk more about everything once we're far from here. Please?"

Barret lifted his human hand to his eyes for a moment before nodding. "Yeah. Let's get out of here. C'mon, everyone." His voice was uncharacteristically quiet, making everyone obey without objections.

They gathered their things quickly and quietly, healing the last of their wounds before leaving the laboratory. The last few minutes - it was less than an hour since they last walked through that door - had changed so many things it felt like they had been down there for hours.

But, of course, leaving wasn't as simple as just opening a door and walking out.

* * *

She was angry. He had failed. And not only in killing the Soldier, the only thing keeping Sephiroth human, but also letting it slip that someone wanted the man dead. He had seen the look on the silver-haired man's face the second he'd said it. If the puppet would have managed to do its work, it wouldn't have been a problem. The Soldier would have died, by the hand they had saved together from Nibelheim. Sephiroth would have surely lost what little faith he still had in the human race. But now he would ask questions. Damn it.

He had never sworn Jenova any kind of allegiance, not after that day five years ago when he had left off on his own. But she was a thing you did not want to anger. She was even more dangerous than he himself was, if she ever was freed from her imprisonment. If he had to kill a few of these pesky humans to get back on her good side, he was more than happy to do it.

If he could get back on her good side AND make those annoying remains of his old human prison suffer, he would be overjoyed.

So Chaos had left the clone to survive or die, it really mattered little to him, and retreated to the outer rooms of the basement. Her anger had been blinding enough that he couldn't have done much anyway. But now he could prove to her that he was worthy of her trust. Even demons have some kind of pride.

He had spent the last five years enjoying his new freedom. Occasionally he had to let the other demons out as well, but Chaos was the strongest of the bunch and dominated the rest. They were simpler than he was, and could very well have Valentine all to themselves as long as he got to fly.

Chaos had roamed the world, or most of it, wreaking havoc and wrecking lives when he felt like it. He could still change into that human shape he so detested. At times it was convenient, it made his victims trust him more easily. A pale, thin man was less fear provoking than a ten-foot black and red demon with huge wings.

Right now, he just used the form for fun. Waiting outside the door, his old human host hovering just behind his eyes, watching since he was forced to watch whatever Chaos chose to do with this small bunch of pitiful humanity.

It had made him curious when his thoughts had always returned to Nibelheim, no matter where in the world he was. So he had often returned there, spending time watching the village being rebuilt, how the people moved in and made it their home. He couldn't see why, but it was interesting to watch anyway.

Finally the door opened, and they started to wander out into the darkness of the stony hallway. He smirked when he could feel Valentine's despair and surprise at seeing the humans he recognized. Chaos knew them as well; the clone, the Soldier, and professor Gast. Him he had never met, but Valentine had memories of that man, and some vague images of the Cetra woman, too. The rest were strangers to him, and unimportant. They could be killed.

With a confident smirk and a soft laugh, Chaos-as-Vincent stepped into the light that streamed out through the door, and stood in front of them, hands on hips, blocking their way.

* * *

Barret stopped when he saw the dark-haired man and swore. "What now?"

The others stopped as well, peering into the darkness to see what was going on.

Zax frowned and shook his head as he recognized the black-clad man. "Wha... Vincent?"

The man they saw was dressed in all black, only the bandana that kept his long, black hair back was blood red. The Soldier remembered that the last time he had seen Vincent, he had had short hair and his left arm had resembled a wing. But now he was as he had been on the first time they had met, only that the metal claw was gone. Vincent now had two perfect human hands.

Cloud came to stand next to the Soldier, looking at the ex-Turk. Vincent noticed him and tsked.

"Cloud... you've really upset her this time. I told you who to shoot, and that someone wasn't Hojo." He shook his head, the black locks moving like snakes around his head. The blond took one step back and Zax put a protective arm between them, remembering all too well what had happened last time he hadn't protected Cloud from the dark man. Vincent couldn't be trusted, no matter that he had been a friend. Hojo and Jenova used him.

"...I'm sorry." the blond whispered, but he didn't look the part. Vincent cocked his head and let out a short laugh. When he spoke next, his voice was like booming thunder, low enough that they thought the ground itself shook from its force.

"If you would have obeyed, the rest of them could have lived. Now... I'll kill everyone, and you, little boy, get to watch."

The words made everyone grab their weapons and get ready to fight. But when two large, red and black wings grew from the man's back, they could do nothing but stare, weapons forgotten. Vincent's body grew, muscles tearing the tormented clothing to shreds. His skin turned blacker than the darkest night, glowing blood red where light hit it.

Without warning, Chaos released a powerful fire-spell, aimed at the middle of the startled group. Barret roared and shoved Aeris and her parents back to the laboratory, hoping they'd be out of harm's way. Tifa called out a wall to protect everyone, but the fire had seared most of them before the spell took effect.

Zax valiantly covered Cloud and Yuffie with his body, therefore not seeing that the next blaze of fire was aimed straight at him. Cid saw it, though, and threw a lighted stick of dynamite at the demon before it could kill the Soldier. Chaos roared in more anger than pain and turned his burning gaze to the pilot. "You die, little man!"

But by then Zax was up and running towards it, screaming as his Buster pierced the thick, black skin. Chaos roared again, this time in agony, and kicked out. The Soldier ducked but the powerful leg caught him by the shoulder and threw him against a wall, twenty feet to his right. He hit his head and was too dazed to do anything as Chaos turned to him, ignoring Yuffie's pinwheel and bullets from Barret's gun. Tifa hurled a powerful ice-spell but the demon only shook it off, lifting its arm to put an end to Zax's life.

"NO!" Cloud screamed and ran to stand between them. Yuffie covered her face and Tifa turned away, both sure that the blond would be squished in an instant. But the demon hesitated. It even lowered its arm a bit, confused, until its eyes started to burn with rage again.

"Out of the way, puppet. I'm not allowed to kill you, but she won't mind if I hurt you."

"No! Why do you want to kill Zax?" Cloud shouted, spreading his hands, trying to block the recovering Soldier from the demon's view.

"She wants him dead. Now MOVE!" Chaos hissed, leaning so close that its hot breath blew Cloud's blond bangs from his forehead.

At that moment Zax opened his eyes and paled at the sight. Chaos was towering over them and only Cloud stood between him and certain death. Then movement caught his eye, and he turned to see Nanaki summoning something while the others backed away.

"Cloud, GET DOWN!" Cid screamed just before hitting the ground himself. Zax pushed himself up enough to wrap one arm around the blond's waist and pull him down, covering the smaller body with his own as electricity crackled in the air, attracting even Chaos' attention.

The ground did grumble this time as a mountain of it pushed its way up, blue and white flashes of lightning licking it up and down. Thunder roared and lightning lit the cave as an old man appeared at the top of the mount, dressed in long, flowing robes. He opened his arms and electricity in all its forms and colours assaulted Chaos, battering the demon back and to the ground.

Cid, unable to keep from watching, hooted and laughed. "Sephiroth sends his love, you bastard!" Then he had to cover his head with his arms as the lightning bolts flew all around the closed area.

Eventually the storm died down and the old man disappeared, leaving the cave feeling darker and smaller than it was. The air was full of smoke and smelled of burned flesh, and a few boxes around the walls had caught fire. Chaos was nowhere to be seen.

"Hoooolyyyy... SHIT!" Cid whooped and jumped up, dusting his clothes and laughing. "That was one helluva show!"

The others started to get up as well, and Aeris rushed out of the laboratory. "Is everyone still alive? Anyone hurt?" the flower girl asked, scowling at Barret gently for worrying more about her than himself.

No one was seriously hurt, luckily, only burns here and there. While the others checked their wounds and Aeris healed them, Cloud wandered to where the ground had burned black from all the power that had felled the demon. The lightning had even made a hole to the ground, and the blond kneeled curiously at its edge and waved the smoke away, leaning closer to see the damage.

"Cloud? What is it?" Zax asked when they heard the blond give a shocked sound. The Soldier stood up, not caring that Aeris was just about to heal the cut on the right side of his head which still bled, and started towards him. "Something wrong?"

From the tone of his voice, the others went for their weapons again, getting ready to fight. Zax pulled his sword out, cursing that he'd let the blond wander off on his own. From where he stood he could barely see Cloud through the thick smoke, but when the blond turned to him, they all could see the glow of his blue eyes.

"Zax, come quick!"

The Soldier and Nanaki were the first to reach the blond, but the rest of Avalanche were not far behind. They all stood around the hole, peering at what Cloud was pointing at.

"Help him, Zax, please!" Cloud begged and turned back to the unconscious form of Vincent Valentine, lying broken and bleeding on the black ground.

"No way you're healing that bastard so he can try kill us again!" Barret roared and aimed his gun-arm. The pale man was barely breathing, but even like this he was too alive for his liking.

"No, don't!" Cloud shouted and scrambled to grab the gun, holding himself between it and Vincent. Barret growled.

"Think real quick who's side you're on, kid, or I'll shoot him through you!"

"Barret!" Zax's voice was calm but warning as he stood up as well, keeping his sword low but clearly in sight.

"Stop this nonsense!"

They all turned to see Professor Gast, limping towards them, looking angry. "We're not in the clear yet, and you fight amongst yourselves?! Please, make peace at least until we are safe! I will not see my wife and daughter in danger again!"

Zax and Barret both lowered their weapons, looking like two boys who had been caught doing something wrong. Cid chuckled and shook his head.

"Doctor Gast! You can help him, can't you?" Cloud asked, still kneeling between Barret and Vincent. The professor looked at his wife curiously and they both approached the black pit, the members of Avalanche stepping back to give them room.

The professor's eyes went wide after a moment when he recognized the man. "Valentine! But... I heard that Hojo had killed him!" He kneeled on the ground, ignoring Barret who was muttering dark words. "I can't believe it! Ifalna! It's really him! What... what on earth did Hojo do to the poor man?!" He looked up at the faces looking down on him, but no one had an answer.

"He, uh... I think he did experiments on Vincent. He said so. Vincent, I mean." Cloud said, frowning, making Zax wonder how much the clone knew or remembered of his previous life. He had thought Cloud would have no recollection of it.

The kneeling blond lifted a hand to his brow and frowned, as if his head was hurting. "Vincent thought that you could help him. Us. If we get out and find Professor Gast, maybe he can help us, Cloud. Maybe he can undo what Hojo did to us."

"...someone lost his marbles..." Yuffie muttered, rolling her eyes. Cloud blinked a few times and sat down, looking like he was lost in his own mind again. Gast peered at him curiously before turning back to Vincent.

"I think that there's a long story behind all this, and I'd like to hear it all." He checked the pale man's pulse and thought for a moment longer. "From what we saw here, I'd presume that Valentine has a demon of sorts inside him. Hojo was always intrigued by this kind of thing, so I'm not surprised. He," he pointed towards Cloud, "is correct, I think I can do something to help the poor man. But not here."

"Okay." Barret muttered and took a deep breath. "Soldier, you're carrying your demon buddy. We head back to Cosmo Canyon straight away, and rethink our plans there. What're ya all waiting for, MOVE IT!"

* * *

Sephiroth groaned and tried to stand up again, but the strength of her anger threw him right back down. He couldn't remember hurting this much ever before in his life, and knew that no matter how much she still intended to hurt him, she'd never let him fall unconscious to escape from the pain.

To say that she was upset about him organizing Hojo's destiny was an understatement. She was absolutely livid, and for a being that only resided in people's minds, having no body of her own except for the head, she was very capable of inflicting as much pain on his body as to his mind.

"But..." he gasped when she gave him a break to gather her anger again, "...you said yourself... only human..."

/FOOL! Hojo is useful to us! We need him to conquer this world! If he dies now, our plan will have failed!/

"But... he already created the puppet for us... what else do we need him for?" Sephiroth gathered his strength and pulled his aching body to lean against a crystal wall. Her anger was so strong he thought the whole cave would melt with it.

She seemed less angry now as she spoke again in his mind. /As much as it humiliates me to admit it, we're not strong enough by ourselves. We need him to aid us./

"You never told me this. How was I to know if you never told me?" Sephiroth muttered, feeling hurt because she had deemed him unworthy of sharing information this important. She hesitated for a moment before sending him a wave of care and healing.

/It doesn't matter now. We need to find him, make sure he's still alive. If nothing else, you must go back to Midgar and search for him. I could feel him teleport himself there, but after that I know nothing of him./

She moved from his mind, concentrating her will to finding the mad scientist. Sephiroth felt a moment of burning hatred and jealousy towards his 'parents', both wanting things from him, always, but never giving him any of the things he so yearned for. Never any love, never any care or even a smile. They had never made him feel welcome. Only Zackery had ever given even small amounts of those to him.

Zackery.

He had forgotten it momentarily, overwhelmed by her anger and the pain, but now he could think by himself again.

"Mother." He waited until she turned her attention to him again, clearly annoyed at being interrupted.

/What is it, son?/

"Someone tried to kill Zackery. You wouldn't know who?" Sephiroth said between gritted teeth, wondering what had happened in the laboratory after he had left. All the assistants were dead, as far as he knew, so they should have gotten out safely. Zackery was probably still alive. Cloud was, he could feel the puppet's hazy, disoriented consciousness at the edges of his mind, and it didn't seem distressed or grieving. That had to be a good sign.

/I know nothing of it./ She answered too quickly. Before he could question her further, she had turned her attention away and the feelings flowing from her being made it clear that he'd regret disturbing her again.

Being treated like a child made Sephiroth answer like a child. He lifted his mental walls high, blocking her completely from his mind, and crossed his arms over his chest, sulking. His body still hurt here and there after the mental punishment, and he could feel the migraine of the century coming on. The thought almost made him laugh morbidly: this was not what he had expected being a god was like. But then again, nothing in his life had turned out like he had expected. No matter how hard he struggled to make his own life, to do what his heart told him to do, there was always someone who'd come and tell him that he had to do something else, that his own wishes were wrong, they weren't for the good of this or that cause, they weren't of any help to the person who wanted something from him. Alone in his mind, reliving all those disappointments and frustrations, he felt like he could start crying and never stop. When had his life become like this? Why did he always let people order him around? Why didn't anyone care for him, ask what HE wanted? Why was he worth so much less than everyone else? Hell, even dogs were taken out for walks if they wanted to go.

And he was supposed to be a god?

As always, when dark feelings like this attacked him, he tried to grasp some amount of security from the few good memories he had. And they all concentrated around one man. But this time, thinking of Zackery only made him feel worse.

("You fucking bastard! Where the hell did you go? Why the fuck did you leave us here? You knew! You knew and you just left us!")

He'd known that Zackery was still alive when he had walked out of the mansion. Nothing had mattered to him then, but he should have taken the Soldier with him. He couldn't wish Hojo on the worst of his enemies, let alone the closest of his very few friends. Thanks to him, Zackery had suffered for five years in Hojo's hands.

("You knew!")

Sephiroth covered his face with his gloved hands and hoped that he'd still know how to cry.

* * *

Cid: "Hey how come Reno got to swear?!"

Me: "Because he wasn't mean to Cait Sith!"

Cid: "Bullshit! You just favour redheads!"

Reno: "It's good to be me..."

Cid: "Even Zax swore!"

Me: "Well, that's because he IS my favourite..."

Zax: blows a raspberry at Cid

Reno: "It's good to be him, too... wait, he's my enemy... no, my friend..."

Cid: "Barret got to swear! Damn it I want to swear too!"

Me: "...you are a sad little man, my friend... considering that you got to swear."

Cid: "Hey, I did, didn't I?"

Reno: "Dork."

Cid: "Who you callin' dork, jerk?"

Me: "Would you guys be quiet! I was actually going to say something here!"

-silence-

Better. Now, it's been a year today since I started to write this story! Yay! It was supposed to be only two pages long... he he... But! Very big thank-you's, hugs and chocolate chip cookies to everyone who's read and reviewed this so far! Hope you'll come back for the rest as well! :D

Also, thanks for the reviews for chapter 7 (and for the mental image of Cloud with a raw fish in his mouth... XD), hope this came out fast enough! ;D And for KMS for being a great beta-reader! :D oooh so many smileys... :3


	27. 2, Chapter Nine

Funnily enough (or then not...), most of this chapter was written ages ago, as it was meant to be the first chapter of part two.

Thank you for all the reviews! And for KMS for putting up with my typos... hmm what else... I own nothing in this story, I've just twisted the plot. Hope you people like it!

* * *

**Chapter nine: Five years**

-

"Can you help him?" Aeris asked, walking around the bed upon which the unconscious body of Vincent Valentine lay strapped by his hands and feet. They had healed his wounds but the man hadn't woken up. There was always someone there, guarding him, in case the man woke or if the demon took his body again.

"Eventually, dear. Hopefully sooner than later, if we can keep that demon down," her father answered, turning to give her a warm smile. Professor Gast and Bugenhagen were working together on reversing whatever it was that Hojo had done to Valentine. The problem was that they didn't know what exactly the scientist had done. No one had thought to take any of Hojo's journals from his study, and no one was willing to go back for them.

The trip back to Cosmo Canyon had been short and uneventful. Changing drivers, they had driven without resting, stopping only at the ford and to fill the gas tanks. They had all agreed to spend the next few days resting before even thinking about what to do next.

Ignoring rest, Bugenhagen and Gast had started working on Vincent the morning after their arrival, not just to help the man but to make sure the demon couldn't hurt anyone. Nanaki and Aeris both followed their progress curiously. Ifalna, exhausted and still traumatized from whatever Hojo had done to her, was resting in the elder's observatory, where Aeris spent all of the time she wasn't with her father.

Barret was finally acknowledging Cait Sith, but the cat wasn't sure if that was a good thing. The gun-armed man kept asking about Marlene, making sure that Reeve kept his word and took care of her and Shera. Often he wasn't satisfied until Reeve arranged for them to talk through the cat.

Cid was actually taking the holiday as a holiday, even though he constantly thought about what they could do to help the Planet. He was grateful that Tifa had this time taken the role of babysitter, watching that Yuffie didn't steal every single thing that wasn't nailed down in the whole Canyon.

Most of the time, Zax was nowhere to be found. He'd leave his small house early every morning to kill the monsters that roamed the Canyon, and return late in the evening, sometimes after nightfall. He'd already killed most of the beasts that had wandered close by, so to vent his frustration he had to go further from the town to find anything to kill. The members of Avalanche didn't know him well, but the dark mood which he had been in since Nibelheim seemed wrong on him. Part of it was because Cloud had fallen into an unresponsive, half conscious state where he didn't seem to hear or see anything, responding only to touch.

After three full days in Cosmo Canyon, the members of Avalanche met at the Candle again. Night was falling fast around them, but the flame lit up the small ring they formed.

"All right," Barret started, looking at everyone in turn. "Now that we've rested, it's about time we start thinking about how to help the Planet." The others glanced questioningly at Cait Sith. Both the robot cat and its mog were sitting there with them. Their leader nodded. "Reeve's with us on this. We can speak freely."

"Yeah, I hope you guys can trust me. I assure you that Rufus won't hear a word of this. As far as he's concerned, I'm still spying on you," the cat said, looking at them honestly. Cid frowned and turned to Barret.

"You really trust this joker?"

"Yeah, Cid. I trust him enough," Barret muttered, squeezing his human hand into a tight fist. "So, anyone got any ideas what to do next?"

"Hey, shouldn't we wait for Zax?" Yuffie asked, looking around. "Isn't he one of us now? Or something?"

"He knows we're meeting here now. If he's not loyal to Sephiroth anymore and if he's interested, he'd be here," Barret said almost angrily, silencing the ninja. "Since we might have to kill Sephiroth to save the Planet, we can't trust someone who's loyal to him."

"I am. But I'm still here."

"...way to make an entrance..." Yuffie muttered as Zax stepped to the ring of light, the Buster sword thrown casually over one shoulder. His chest was splattered with blood from the monsters he'd killed. With his glowing, violet eyes he looked more like a demon than a man at the moment.

The Soldier ignored the ninja's remark and sat down between Tifa and Cid, who both inched away from him a bit.

Silence lasted for a moment until Zax lifted his face to answer Barret's strict glare. "I've been thinking a lot lately. I'm still loyal to Sephiroth, like I said. But if he's controlled by Jenova, he'd... I know he'd rather die than go on like that. So I'll come with you. When we confront him, I want to talk to him first, if it's possible. To make sure. If... if he's beyond my reach... I'll want to make him the last favour I can, and kill him. Good enough for you?"

Barret nodded after a moment. "Fine." He sat down as well, becoming equal with the rest of the group. "This seems fairly simple. We find Sephiroth and... take care of him."

The others nodded their confirmations to this. More easily said than done, though.

"How do we find him?" Tifa asked.

Zax covered his face with this hands and sighed. "Ah... I think..."

"Spit it out," Cid said, his voice unusually soft. He must have guessed what the Soldier was going to say.

"...damn..." Zax lowered his hands and stared at the fire. "I think Cloud can sense Seph somehow. If we can get him to snap out of that daze he's in, maybe... maybe we can get him to lead the way. Or at least give a hint as to where he could be."

"Mother suspects the Northern Crater. She's not sure, though, but we've talked about this, and since it's the place where Jenova originally landed in, it seems likely they're there," Aeris said, leaning forward and giving Zax a sympathetic look. "So if Cloud can really feel him, maybe we only need to ask if he's feeling the same. And if he can't, well, it's a place to start."

Barret frowned and scratched his neck. "Sounds good to me. But the Crater is a long way from here. How do we get there? I don't know how many ships go there anymore."

Cid seemed to lighten up at that. "Well, there's always my Tiny Bronco, if I can get her fixed. And then..." His eyes went dreamy and a small smile appeared on his lips, much like a schoolgirl when thinking of her crush, "...there's the Highwind."

"Theee what?" Yuffie asked, snickering at the look on the pilot's face. Cid didn't notice, though, or decided to ignore her.

"The greatest airship ever! It belonged to me, and to my dad before me. He built it. Shin-Ra confiscated it some years back, after the space program was cancelled, those bastards. I'm telling you, with the Highwind we could get to the Northern Crater in an instant AND kick Sephiroth's ass to the Promised Land!"

"So where is it?" Tifa asked. Cid's face fell.

"Midgar. I think. Or Junon. I don't know. Rufus has it."

They all turned to Cait. "Ah, yes, the... Highwind. I think it's in Junon now," Reeve answered through the cat. "Scarlet borrowed it two days ago to go and check on some weapons."

"What?!" Cid absolutely shrieked. "That painted harlot, at the wheel of MY airship?" He let out a long string of curses which made the others laugh, despite that it meant that getting the airship wouldn't be too easy.

"All right, we'll put our minds to that next," Nanaki said and Barret nodded.

"If it's fine with you all, I've been talking with the guy who fixed the buggy... he's a pretty darn good mechanic, and he'd be willing to come with me to the Bronco, to check if we can fix her. I'd be gone a few days..." Cid said, looking at Barret almost pleadingly. The gun-armed man nodded.

"I think we can afford a few more days. We'll get things ready here while you're at it."

"Speaking of fixing things... how's Vincent doing?" Zax asked, looking at Aeris.

"He's still unconscious, but at least it means that the demon is still dormant. Father and Elder Bugenhagen are doing their best," the flower girl answered while the others got ready to get up.

"Just one more thing," Cid said. His curiosity even overrode the urge to jump into a car and drive straight to his Tiny Bronco. Zax frowned when the pilot turned to him. "If you're with us from now on, and that little blond as well, I think we should know a few things. Just in case, you know."

"What do you want to know?" Zax asked quietly while the rest exchanged looks and sat back down.

"How about you start with what Hojo did to you two?" the pilot said.

"It would also help if you could tell what you know of Vincent and what was done to him. We know next to nothing about Hojo's projects," Aeris asked, and Zax nodded to both of them. He'd known that he'd eventually have to talk about it.

"Yeah, I guess I should tell you guys... uh, I'll start with Vincent.

"There's not much that I know for sure. I didn't know Vincent for long, but Hojo likes to talk. He told me all kinds of things about his past experiments, more than I would have liked to know, really. Ah, Vincent... Hojo just... toyed with him, I think. Tried all different theories and stuff. Same as with Cloud, before Seph and me got him out of there.

"Hojo was able to control him back then, thanks to this slave collar he'd put around Vinnie's neck. The bastard had put him to sleep around the time Seph was born, after... hell, how do I explain this... after... infecting, that was Hojo's word, Vincent's mind with these four demons. The one we met is the strongest, Chaos." He skipped the part where that same demon burned Nibelheim to the ground. "When... shit. Okay. This is gonna be hard, but I'm gonna tell you the truth now.

"When Seph, Cloudy and me went back to Nibelheim, to free Vincent from Hojo, and maybe to kill the asshole, we... he..." Zax shook his head violently, forcing down threatening tears. He didn't want to talk about this, but if he didn't get it all out soon, he felt like his heart would explode with all the pain and sorrow.

"We found Vincent in the room with the secret door. Or Cloudy found him while we were fighting with one of Hojo's monsters. The bastard had played with Vincent some more, doing something to his left arm. He has two human hands now, I noticed, but back then he used to have this metal claw around his left arm. Then it was gone, and... well, he was acting weird. He... he shot. Cloudy. In the head. Killing him. The Turks were right. Cloud died. But not until that day. Then... Hojo shot me in the back and all got a bit blurry. But I remember Vincent transforming into Chaos and leaving. Then Seph left us, and I was taken to Hojo's lab for the next five years."

When he stopped speaking, no one dared to break the silence for a few moments. Yuffie was the first to speak.

"Uhh... so if that guy killed Cloud, who's the blond?" She nodded her head towards the small home Zax and Cloud shared.

The Soldier sighed and steadied himself. "That is a bit of a long story. I don't know if you guys need to know all of it, but... I need to get it out, or I'll go crazy."

"Please, tell us..." Aeris said, not knowing what to expect.

* * *

Zax fingered the pale scar on his chest and wondered absently if there was a similar one on his back, where the bullet had entered his body. He often touched it, to remind himself of what part of the last few years had really happened and what had been just a nightmare. Unfortunately, the worst things didn't come from his dreams.

He couldn't remember clearly what had happened, how he had ended up where he was now. The last thing he remembered clearly was falling to the floor, with warm blood streaming out of his body. The floor he'd landed on had been surprisingly soft, and it had been so easy to just close his eyes and let his body fix itself or die. Let it decide. The world was turning out to be a bit too weird for his liking. Sephiroth had become so strange, Vincent had gone completely mad, and Cloud had died. Everything in the last five minutes. It had been a little too much, and the Soldier had given up. But apparently his body had thought otherwise; it had begun to heal itself, and later on he'd woken up here. In a glass tank. In a laboratory. In the cellar of the Shin-Ra mansion in Nibelheim, where all hell had originally broken loose. As far back as he could remember, that was the worst way to wake up. Even worse than an incoming missile exploding not thirty feet from him. He knew what went on in this basement, and he could guess that he wasn't getting out anytime soon.

He'd woken up to find that Hojo had sewn his wounds shut nicely, and his assistants were nursing him back to perfect health, for whatever sick plans the professor might have. The man wouldn't say, and Zax had no way of finding out. The assistants didn't talk much to him, and when they were gone, he was all alone. There was another tank beside his, but it was empty. Completely empty. He wondered often which tank Hojo had kept Cloud in, and felt a crushing pain in his heart at the thought. The blond was gone. Dead. Murdered by Vincent. Zax had a fuzzy memory of the Turk changing into something horrible, but that visual only came to him in the moment just before sleep, driving away all the good dreams he might have had.

He wanted to escape so badly he'd hit and kick the glass walls of his small prison until his whole body ached and the pain in his healing wound brought him to his knees. He wanted his life back, but if that wasn't possible, the Soldier was ready to take it with his own hands. But there were two reasons why he didn't want to die. One was Sephiroth, of course. He wanted to get out and find his General again, his best friend for so long they'd become almost parts of each other. Or that's what Zax had thought. Ever since first coming to Nibelheim Sephiroth had moved away from him until they'd been completely torn apart. So much had happened in those few days that Zax was still sorting some of it in his mind, cursing himself for not doing something sooner, for not confronting Sephiroth the minute he'd started to act strangely, for not tossing that cursed head away the minute he'd seen it. But there was no use in crying over spilled milk. He couldn't change the past, no matter how hard he tried or wanted to.

The second reason why he felt he needed to stay alive had arrived a few months ago. Hojo had decided not to make the same mistakes again, so whenever the professor would leave the laboratory, he'd have Zax put to sleep. The man didn't trust his assistants anymore, but at least they sometimes talked to the Soldier, answering some of his questions shortly but still, they answered them. How long have I been in here? How long did I sleep now? What's going on outside? They told him, if only to just make some noise, chase away the ghosts. But they never told him what was going to happen to him. They only shook their heads at that, or turned away. But at least Zax had a pretty good idea on how long he'd been down here. Almost two years, most of it unconscious, in induced sleep. Almost two years of being so alone, until the day he'd woken up to loud noises.

Hojo was shouting for his assistants to be careful. They were filling the tank next to his with thick, very strong Mako, and lowering something into it while it was still half empty. Zax had stood up to the closest wall to see what was going on. There were so many assistants running around the tank that it was hard to see, but after they'd secured the top closed again, they all moved back to watch as the tank filled up. The Soldier still remembered the disgust and nausea he'd felt at what he'd seen then, floating in the liquid.

The Mako was thick, but not thick enough to hide the ... thing it enveloped. It had reminded him of a fetus, except that as far as he knew, fetuses didn't have spines growing out of them, the white bones hanging from a mass of heart and lungs and something that might one day be a head. It hung from numerous tubes that injected it with different liquids. Zax could only imagine what it would be, once grown up.

Only a few days later he'd already noticed that Blob, like he called it, was starting to grow skin over the lengthening spine. A week from that, he saw the beginnings of little hands and feet, and some months later it was painfully obvious that Hojo was growing a human. The assistants wouldn't say a word about it, so Zax had swallowed his pride and disgust towards the professor and asked him what was growing in the tank, but Hojo would only lift a finger to his lips and smirk.

"It's a secret."

Then the professor would coo at Blob like it was his baby.

Seeing Hojo's lovely secret first thing every morning was really freaking Zax out, but since there was little else to do in a completely empty tube of glass, small enough that he couldn't even stretch himself out on the floor of it, he'd started to follow Blob's growing, wondering what exactly would become of it, and if Hojo intended to use him with it. Or was he just canned goods for the monster-to-be? Neither option appealed much to the Soldier.

Over the months Blob grew, its limbs started to resemble those of a human, and it started to even develop some facial features. It didn't grow exactly like a normal human, from baby to adulthood, but more like straight to its final size. The bones that formed before being covered up with muscle and skin stretched and grew thicker, and Blob ended up being over five feet tall when it seemed to stop growing and started to develop details. Hojo had photographed, filmed and made notes of it every day, every inch it grew. It sickened Zax, knowing how the same man had tortured and ignored his own son. Well, his son in a way. Not that he believed that Blob's future would be any happier than Sephiroth's. The thought had crossed his mind that Hojo was actually growing himself another Sephiroth. That was one thing he had learned about the world outside. No one knew where the General was. He had completely disappeared from Nibelheim, and Hojo was possibly the most pissed off person because of it. His ire had amused Zax on many occasions, but he didn't laugh at the professor anymore, not after getting an unhealthy dose of Mako as a punishment.

Then one day Zax had realized what Hojo was doing. Blob hadn't been facing him for the past week or so, which the Soldier was eternally grateful for, considering that its teeth and eyes were growing but there wasn't really much flesh to cover them yet. Watching the back of its head, Zax had noticed that Blob was starting to grow thin, pale hair as well. But that one morning, it had turned a bit during the night, showing Zax its perfect, fully developed face when the Soldier woke up. The eyes were closed with hints of eyebrows above them, and the thin lips were slightly parted. Pale hair floated around the head like a halo in the Mako liquid. Zax had almost had a heart attack when he'd recognized Cloud. Hojo had just about busted a gut, laughing at his horror. After the initial shock, and the one following that, he'd screamed at the professor, demanding to know why, swearing in a way that would have taught Cid a few new expressions. Hojo just laughed at him and repeated his usual line.

"It's a secret."

Later, the professor had given in enough to tell him that he'd created Blob from the cells of the real Cloud, cutting the ones infected with Jenova's before the body even grew cold. This was the third 'version'; the previous two hadn't either grown or had mutated badly. "I only dared to hope that the cloning would work this well. But so much could still go wrong. My sweet little specimen isn't ready yet."

When Zax would ask what that meant, Hojo would shake his head and walk away.

* * *

"He wouldn't tell me anything. Neither would the goons. I didn't know what to do, or think." The Soldier shook his head while he let out the last, quiet words. Even though he stared at his feet, he could see the looks the others were exchanging.

"What... what happened then?" Aeris asked quietly. Zax scratched his neck and was glad that Cloud wasn't there. He wasn't sure why, but he didn't want the blond to hear this.

"Next... that was weird..."

* * *

Hojo had given his precious specimen a few more weeks to grow and become complete before he had started to work on him. That's when Zax finally found out what was wanted, or more like needed of him.

After he'd recognized Cloud, Zax's feelings had been in a horrible jumble. On the other hand, he was glad to see the boy again, remembering how he'd felt for him earlier. Maybe they'd get a second chance now, to see if they had similar feelings for each other. But on the other hand, he'd just witnessed how Cloud had grown from a few organs and bones to what he was now. And he couldn't decide, didn't know whether this was his Cloud, the same one who'd been so surprised when he'd talked about his feelings in the tent, or just an empty clone, Hojo's mindless slave. That was just what he seemed to be right now, only a body floating in Mako, suspended by numerous tubes. The liquid was so strong no normal human or animal could survive living in it for months. It made Zax's head ache just being this close to it, no matter that there were two thick glass walls and a few feet between him and the next tank. He feared that Cloud would truly be just something that Hojo had created. But he still didn't know why.

Then one day, Hojo drained Cloud's tank empty. Zax watched with curiosity and anxiety as the body slumped, feet limp on the floor, the rest kept up with the tubes. Two assistants opened the door and unplugged the boy. They washed off most of the Mako stuck to his skin with water, emptied his lungs of the stuff and hauled the boy out, throwing his limp form onto the table. Hojo supervised their every movement, standing next to the table, rubbing his hands excitedly.

"That's it, carefully now... let's see if you were worth the effort put into you!" the professor babbled on, eager to get his hands on his specimen. Zax tried to turn away but realized that he couldn't. He had to see what the madman was doing.

The assistants rolled Cloud onto his side and slapped his back until the boy had coughed out the rest of the liquid from his lungs. Hojo was thrilled to see that his specimen could breathe on its own, and had proceeded to give him a full physical examination.

"Eyes... responding naturally to light. Look at that glow!" The assistants watched curiously, running around the table, blocking it and Cloud from Zax's view most of the time. "No abnormal muscle tissue growth... actually, he seems like a bit of a weakling. We'll have to test his strength once we're finished with the programming."

The Soldier cringed at the words and moved to get a better view of the professor and catch a glimpse of Cloud. The boy hadn't moved at all, didn't protest to Hojo's probings or hear the comments. Only his chest rose and fell.

"Everything seems to have developed nicely. Let's take a tissue sample and see whether his DNA is still the same."

Zax hated needles so much that he didn't blame himself for not watching when Hojo pulled out a huge one and poked it into Cloud's arm. The Soldier let out a shuddering breath and opened his eyes again when the professor commanded for his assistants to check the sample. The men left the room, leaving Hojo with his pets.

"Yeees..." Hojo muttered after a quiet moment and looked up at Zax, giving him a quick smirk. "He seems to be ready. A few more days and we'll start programming. Hope you're ready for it, Zackery."

Zax frowned but didn't look up from Cloud's open eyes. Even in the bright lights of the laboratory, they were glowing unnaturally. Just like a Soldier's eyes after a Mako-treatment, but so much brighter. Of course. The boy had literally grown up in the liquid. He looked human enough, but Zax had to doubt it, even though he wished that Cloud would be the same as before. But if he had been grown from the Jenova-cells that had been injected into him, wouldn't the boy be more alien than human? Just a piece of her, molded into his likeness? Just an empty body?

"What the hell do you mean, Hojo? You'd actually let me close to one of your monsters? You don't fear I'll just kill it?"

The professor laughed and shook his head, all the time poking at Cloud's muscles, testing their responses. "Dear Zackery, I don't think you'll do that. First, you won't get a chance. Second, I don't think you'd have the heart. I've seen the way you look at him. Like a lovesick puppy. No, I think you'd actually protect him if you needed to."

"No way!" the Soldier shouted and slammed his fists against the glass. He feared that he'd lost Sephiroth for ever, and had already grieved once for Cloud. Seeing the boy again, his feelings for the both of them had awakened, but he didn't really dare to believe that this Cloud was anything else than an empty husk. It was just a specimen, one of Hojo's numerous crimes against humanity. And it fouled the memories he had of the boy. The decision had been hard, but he was adamant to kill it, the first chance he got. It wasn't Cloud.

From that moment on, Zax started to really plan for escape, and how he could manage it and destroy the specimen and still survive.

Two days later, Hojo and his assistants returned and again drained Cloud's tank, cleaned the specimen and dragged it to the table. The Soldier stood up when the two goons started to come towards his tube. Zax backed away from the door immediately, afraid. What was happening?

They opened the door and both reached a hand in, trying to grab one of Zax's. The Soldier tried to bat them away, move out of their reach, but the tank was too small and the men stood too close to each other for him to slip between them.

One of the assistants was your usual laboratory worker, all brain and no muscle, but the other one had been hired for having both. The man grunted with impatience, pushed the thinner man aside and stepped into the tank, surprising Zax and grabbing the Soldier before he had a chance to deal any serious damage.

The years in the cell had dulled Zax's reflexes and weakened him a bit, but he still put up a fight before the man managed to catch him from behind, press his arms to his sides and carry the struggling Soldier out. Zax managed to kick the thinner goon in the stomach and the one carrying him in the legs as hard as he could with his bare feet, but it didn't even make him feel any better about being caught so easily.

The muscle man kept him still while Hojo and the other goon tied the Soldier to another desk, right next to Cloud. Zax continued his struggling, listening to the low curses, but his eyes were fixed on the blond specimen next to him. He refused to think of it as Cloud, but it looked so much like him, a perfect copy.

"No!" Zax screamed as his arm was pinned to the table in a way that could only mean one thing. He turned to his left just in time to see Hojo guide a needle into his vein, and push in dark red liquid.

"Just lie still, Zackery, and this'll be over before you know it..."

Zax struggled, trying in vain to fight the numbing effect of the drug, tightening his muscles against the bonds, but it spread quickly and he started to go limp. First his legs, then his arms, and then the warm sensation spread to his torso and up towards his head.

With a last attempt to fight it, Zax turned his head away from Hojo. That meant that the last thing he saw before passing out was Cloud...

* * *

"...Shit," Barret muttered and turned away. Aeris and Tifa had paled considerably during the tale. Cid was chain-smoking and the rest were too stunned to say much.

"What did he do to you guys?" Yuffie got her mouth open with the power of curiosity.

Zax shrugged. "At first, I had no idea. I just thought... hell, I didn't know what to think. I guess I presumed it was some sort of blood transfusion. I don't know. The next thing I remember is waking up and feeling like shit..."

* * *

"...work?"

"Can't really say, sir, he's back asleep."

"Damn it. Well it looks like our brave donor is up. Good morning, Zackery, how do you feel?"

Zax groaned quietly as a throbbing pain attacked his head. Something had crawled into his mouth, sucked it dry and then died. Probably something in league with the bees that buzzed and tickled in his ears. He refused to even go into what the rest of him felt like.

Someone poked at his arm and Zax forced a bleary, dry eye open. If waking up in the mansion's basement was the worst way to wake up, then having Hojo's face within a foot of your own was a very, very strong second. The Soldier yelped in fright and flinched away which only made the professor chuckle.

"How rude of you. But I guess that you can't be blamed. Mmm, feeling a bit nostalgic, are we?"

"...yes..." Zax answered when he came to the conclusion that he really was, although he couldn't for the life of him understand why. He frowned slightly and closed his eyes while Hojo rubbed his hands together.

"So the transfusion did work. Try to wake him again, see what happens."

The Soldier forced both eyes open when the words didn't seem to have any kind of understandable meaning to him. Transfusion? He turned to his left and saw the thin assistant shake Cloud by the shoulders. The specimen didn't respond, didn't make any noise. The man looked up at Hojo questioningly before slapping the boy on the cheek. That made the blond let out a quiet groan, but he didn't move or wake.

"Oh let him be, he probably needs time to let it all sink in. Put them in their tanks, we'd have to wait a few days anyway before we can do it again."

Zax didn't have the strength or the will to struggle when he was freed and picked up from the table. His bare feet dragged on the cold floor as he was more carried than guided back to the prison of glass and thrown carelessly in. He looked on as Cloud was locked in more carefully, Hojo not wanting his project to come to any harm.

The professor stood before Cloud's tank for a moment longer before all three scientists left and turned the lights off. The basement was now only illuminated by the glow of the computer screens which were a bright shade of Mako green. Zax sighed and closed his eyes, thankful of the darkness as it eased his headache a bit.

When he was feeling a bit better he started to wonder what had happened. Hojo had spoken of a transfusion; had something been taken from him and put into Cloud? What? He checked his arms, feeling for any needle marks, but found only the one which Hojo had made with the sedative, or whatever the hell that had been. Not a blood transfusion, then, nor tissue or organ, he figured he'd feel that. Now that he wasn't numb anymore it was obvious that only his head was hurting, and it was full of memories, even ones he'd thought he'd forgotten. His childhood, the first days in Soldier, Sephiroth... his image was the strongest, the memories of their conversations and the older man's personality. Why... why was he remembering all this? Zax lifted his fists to his temples and groaned. He didn't understand anything.

After a moment he lowered his hands and opened his eyes, staring at Cloud's limp form until he fell to a deep, exhausted sleep.

* * *

"The... transfusions went on for months. Little by little. And I... I found out what they were about.

"Cloud... he was, is, a perfect replica of the real one. But Hojo hasn't yet managed to create a clone with a soul, with memories. Jenova's cells didn't keep that information. So he needed to... he used... aw shit, how do I explain this... Hojo transferred my memories to Cloud. Not everything, just things he thought Cloud needed to know. About Cloudy, and Sephiroth. Hojo was making a puppet for Jenova to use." Zax rubbed his eyes and let out a long sigh. "I don't know. He somehow stimulated the memories he needed from me and..." he waved his hand, not trying to explain it further. "Lately, though... I don't know, sometimes it seems like Cloud knows stuff I couldn't possibly have known about him. Like things from before... before he died.

"But anyway, there was a problem. Cloud would 'operate' perfectly, Hojo's words, not mine, in Mako, but once he was taken out of the tank, away from that poison, he'd go limp and unresponsive, like the bastard liked to put it. So Hojo started to think that he had failed. He started to do nasty things... I don't want to talk about it. Just in case Cloud should find out. I don't think he remembers, and I don't want him to.

"That just made me more determined to get out. Cloud was starting to be in pretty bad shape. I know I said I'd kill him... so I could have just let Hojo take care of it. But not even a clone deserves to go through that kind of shit. So one day, when Hojo was in Midgar... the goons always got a bit careless then. I killed the one bringing our food to us, and... I was going to kill Cloud as well, so that whatever Hojo wanted him for wouldn't happen, but... I just couldn't. I got him out of the tank and ran.

"I ran the whole night, didn't stop until late. Seeing Nibelheim like that was a shock, and I just wanted to get away from it as soon as possible. I thought it was some sort of hallucination, made myself think it was just that, but now...

"The trip away from there was... well, in a way it was good to be out of the mansion, but traveling was hard. And just existing in the world again. I thought I'd never get used to the sun..."

* * *

"...aannnh... ouuhhh..."

Zax woke up and opened his stinging eyes. For a few seconds he was completely disoriented, until he remembered the small cave they were hiding in. They were a few days from Nibelheim, and if they continued by foot, it would take maybe three or four more days to reach Cosmo Canyon. The trip to the other direction, four years earlier, had taken a day and a half, but then they'd had a car. He hadn't bothered to search for it in Nibelheim, guessing that it had been found when the town had been rebuilt. Someone had either taken it to its rightful owner or become its new owner.

"...mmmgh..."

"Shit..." Zax muttered and turned his eyes to his companion. It was dark in the cave, and the small strip of the sky he could see through the tear in the rock was pitch black as well. But the Soldier could see fairly well with his Mako-enhanced eyes, which cast a soft, bluish violet light into the darkness.

Putting numb limbs to action, Zax pulled the small blond close to him, rubbing warmth to the cold arms and back. Cloud stopped moaning after a while, sighed and fell silent. The Soldier sighed as well.

"You'll be all right, Cloud..." he whispered and closed his eyes again. They'd have to get moving soon, but it was too dark and the terrain was too dangerous. It could wait till morning. Rest was more important now.

Cloud-- no, IT, had started to make small noises every now and then, since yesterday. First it had scared the hell out of Zax, but he'd soon gotten used to it and had even begun to understand what the noises meant. I'm cold, I'm thirsty, something hurts... Zax snorted and rested his chin on the blond spikes, feeling warmer as their bodies shared the heat. It was like dragging around a big baby... a big baby which had showed no signs of waking up or, to be more correct, any signs of any kind of activity between its ears other than the quiet noises.

"Yeah, sure you'll be all right..."

* * *

"The trip to Cosmo Canyon took about a week. It was the weirdest trip, there were no other people around, except for a few small towns. But other than that, it seemed like it was just it and me, all alone in the world..."

* * *

Zax stopped to catch his breath and looked up at the large observatory at the top of the high town. Cosmo Canyon. Just an hour and they'd be at the base of the stairs. The hundreds of stairs that lead up to the town where they could rest and eat. If they were let in.

They had passed a small hamlet just after the ford, and Zax had gone into the village for some food. He'd had only a few gil on him, just enough for water, a small loaf of bread and some apples. Not much, but then again, Cloud wasn't eating anything. It hadn't made him proud, but Zax had also stolen some clothes. He'd still had his Soldier uniform when his captivity in the laboratory had began, but it had soon changed to what he presumed patients wore in hospitals. After getting out, he'd found his clean and fixed uniform, only without the boots. Cloud had been naked, but he'd found a shirt and a pair of boxer shorts in the laboratory, so that the specimen, Zax had to remind himself, wasn't completely naked. But it was cold and winter was on its way, so he'd stolen a pair of long pants and two woollen shirts which someone had hung out to dry. It was low, but he'd had to, or they would freeze. Still, they were both barefoot.

"Would you look at that? It's Cosmo Canyon, the cradle of education. Or something," the Soldier said and turned his head to see the glowing blue eyes. Cloud was riding on his back, chin resting on his shoulder, eyes staring straight ahead. Zax's face twisted with anger and despair at the lack of emotion in them, and he shook his head and continued towards the town.

"...I should have killed you in the lab and torched the place..."

* * *

"I didn't want to stay in the smaller towns. I guessed Hojo would send people after us, and I didn't want to bring that kinda trouble on people who couldn't defend themselves against it. Cosmo Canyon seemed like the best place, being so close. Rocket Town... well, I feared that someone might still remember us there.

"The elders were kind enough to let us stay, when they saw the sorry state Cloud was in. I wasn't much better then, starved and tired. I must have slept for two or three days straight, and when I woke up, Cloud was already up and speaking. That was weird... it was like having the old... the real Cloud back, except that he hadn't been much of a talker. Neither is this guy, but for the first few days he wouldn't stop talking about all the wonderful things he saw. I figured this out later, don't know if I'm right, but it's a guess... that the longer he's out of Mako, the better he... operates. You see, Hojo only kept him out for a few hours at a time, but he's been fine since we left. A few relapses now and then, but mostly he's ok. Guess that's what pissed the bastard off, if he realized the same.

"I... I had still been determined to destroy Cloud, because I knew that Hojo wouldn't leave us be. But when he talked to me, smiled and wondered about the things he saw... hell, I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Still can't, even though it would be wisest."

"Why... how can you say that?" Aeris asked, her green eyes wide.

Zax shrugged. "He's just a clone. A specimen. A thing created by Hojo."

"Maybe once, but you said it yourself... he thinks for himself, and speaks his mind. Remembers things. Doesn't that make him a real human being?" the flower girl argued gently, making the Soldier lean away from her, thinking with a dark expression on his face. "Whatever he was created as, does it matter?"

"I don't know..." Zax muttered and pushed the thought away for now. He'd think about it more when he had the time and peace for it. "The rest of our story you know. A few months after we got here, you guys appeared."

They all sat still for a few more moments. Night had fallen sometime during Zax's tale, and even if they weren't all tired, the weight of what they'd just heard was enough to kill any other conversation.

"...I think that's enough for tonight," Barret said eventually and stood up. The others followed suit. "Tomorrow we can start preparing for the next leg o' this little picnic."

"Yeah. I'll head off in the mornin', I'll let you know how the repairs go," Cid muttered and waved them good night, heading off to find the mechanic. The rest wished each other good night as well, leaving quietly towards the inn, or in Aeris' and Nanaki's case, towards the observatory. The flower girl stopped to squeeze Zax's hand gently before heading for the stairs. Nanaki looked up at him encouragingly.

The Soldier blushed after even Barret had patted his shoulder. He hadn't told his story to get pity from anyone, but it was nice to know that they had believed him, and that he had managed to tell the whole of it, to get it out and give himself a little peace. His heart felt much lighter when he returned home. He apologized again and again to Rei, the woman who kept Cloud company when he was away. She claimed she didn't mind having to stay up so late, but he still felt guilty.

He was just about to turn the lights off and head to bed when there was a knock on the door. Curious as to who it could be, he went to open it.

"Hi, kiddo..." Cid muttered when the door opened. Zax smiled and cocked his head a bit.

"I thought you went to bed already, old man..."

"Watch it..." Cid growled but turned sheepish the next second. "I just... uhh... sorry if I forced you to tell it all. And in front of them. I mean, I had no idea..."

"It's ok, Cid. It's better out than in, like dad used to say. Although that was his excuse for spittin' into the fireplace, but you get the idea."

The pilot laughed and reached out to pat the Soldier on the shoulder. "Right. Thanks for sharin' it. At least they trust you now."

"No, Cid, that's called pity. Trust is a bit different..." Zax muttered but grinned and winked when the blond man looked up, surprised by the slightly bitter tone. "Hey, no offence, but it's been a long day, and I'd like to head to bed now. Good luck for tomorrow, I guess I'll see ya when you get back, huh?"

"Yeah, when I return here flyin' in my baby!" the pilot said with a grin, and they wished each other good night before Zax closed the door. Turning the lights off, he walked towards the small bedchamber, dropping his clothes in a line from door to door.

The small room was dark, only one window admitting light in from the stars. On the wall's side of the bed, Cloud lay curled up, his back to the room. He'd kicked the covers to the foot of the bed. Zax just stared at the blond for a few moments before he sat on the bed's edge, careful not to wake the younger one. He sat still for a while, thinking of what Aeris had said and about his own feelings. Getting the past out of his head had made him feel better, and even though he still thought that the creature on the bed was just a puppet, he no longer completely believed that. And maybe he'd think about it more tomorrow. Zax reached out and grabbed the bedcovers, pulling them over Cloud who just sighed in his sleep. With a wide yawn, the Soldier lay down and pulled his own blanket up to his chin. He was tired, but sleep was slow in coming and fitful when he finally caught a hold of it.

* * *

A.N: Okay... school is being... something I'd much rather not write, because it would contain language that would make Cid blush. So the next few chapters might come out a bit slow. Unless I get hit by inspiration and finish the whole thing in one weekend.

Please be patient, and as always, thank you so much for reading!


	28. 2, Chapter Ten

Hello! Sorry for the lateness! Thank you to KMS for betaing once again, and thank YOU for reading!

* * *

**Chapter ten: Minds and bodies**

-

("You knew! You knew and you just left us!")

"He hates me. I'm sure of it..." Sephiroth muttered, leaning his forehead to his arm, which was pressed against a cold crystal wall. Jenova had found Hojo in Midgar, and the professor was managing staying alive by himself, so Sephiroth hadn't had to leave the Crater. Instead he had stayed in his own, small chamber, just staring at the walls, going over his memories of Nibelheim.

Zackery's hurt, pained words rang again and again in his mind. It didn't matter at all that the Soldier had hugged him, held him so tight and so long, and even joked with him. Only the hurt in the violet eyes and the anger in his words mattered. Zackery hated him, thought of him as a monster. Gods and monsters. Was there a difference? Not with a god like he would be. Jenova's goal was revenge upon the planet that had imprisoned her for so long, and on the people who lived on it. She would be a god to inspire only fear. And he would follow her. He'd be her hands and eyes where she could not go or see. He'd kill when she ordered him to.

Wouldn't it have been kinder and easier for them all if he had died in his mother's womb, in the woman who had never even held him, who had surrendered him to Hojo and Jenova? But if he had perished, wouldn't Hojo just have started the whole project again, creating someone else to dance to his tune?

Even so, he could have been free...

/Son? Come here. It is almost time to start our little dance of death./

Her voice was gentle towards him again. She was still mad about what had happened to Hojo, but she needed him for something. Everything else had to wait. Sephiroth sighed and left his solitude.

* * *

Zax scratched his neck and leaned his back against the doorframe. Both Aeris and her mother had come to see Cloud, and the small bedchamber was unusually crowded. The Soldier felt a bit uneasy, not only because he hadn't bothered to make the bed or make Cloud put any decent clothes on that morning, but because he felt that the women were invading the only place where he had felt even remotely safe for a long time. It didn't matter so much when Rei came by to stay with Cloud during the days; she had seen them at their worst when they had first come to Cosmo Canyon.

Both women were sitting on the bed, Ifalna facing the blond youth and Aeris on his other side, her green eyes moving from her mother to Cloud and to Zax. She smiled a bit at the Soldier as the Cetra tried to coax the blond awake from his stupor.

"Come now, Cloud, it's safe. She won't get you here..." Ifalna muttered gently, keeping all of Cloud's little attention on herself by touching his face every now and then. The blue eyes stared at her, but Zax didn't see any recognition or intelligence in them. It had been like this since the blond had talked about Vincent, back in the mansion. The Soldier suspected that remembering something the clone wasn't supposed to know, couldn't possibly have known, had blown out a circuit or two in its head. His head. He had thought about what Aeris had said that evening, and was trying to think of Cloud as a human, not a thing. It would be easier if the blond would do something besides just sitting there and blinking.

Ifalna kept on talking and touching the youth gently, trying to get him to react to something. She was feeling much better than when they had reached Cosmo Canyon. Whatever Hojo had done to her had either passed or then she was ignoring it, not wishing anyone to worry about her. But Aeris didn't seem too concerned about her, so Zax hoped that it meant that the professor hadn't done anything too bad. He liked both women but hoped that they would have left him and Cloud alone. He'd told them that the blond usually snapped out of these dazes on his own, but Ifalna had been determined to try after he'd told everyone that Cloud might be able to tell where Sephiroth was.

He could understand their need to find him, to put an end to what Jenova was doing to the Planet. He was ready to help Avalanche any way he could. But he hated the fact that the only way to help them seemed to be hurting his best friend, maybe killing him.

* * *

The wound had almost healed already. It still hurt, especially if he stood for too long. He would have been a fool to inject only the Soldiers and his specimens with Her cells. No one knew it, of course, but Professor Hojo had made sure he wouldn't be so easy to kill. Not when he could borrow Her healing powers.

It still hurt, though, and he suspected it would hurt for a few more days. But he had healed very well, considering that the bullet had gone straight through his lower chest. It had missed most of the more important organs, but he had lost a lot of blood before he had managed to teleport himself back to Midgar to heal. Another one of Her little gifts. He was too important to Jenova to be lost so easily.

Hojo was just buttoning up his lab coat, ready to face another day working for Her goals, when the door to the dressing room was thrown open and the red-headed Turk slithered in, followed by the young president.

"Hojo! I need to talk with you!" Rufus informed the professor and sat down on the nearest chair. Hojo frowned, glanced at the Turk and sat down as well. Might as well get it over with; the sooner these two idiots left, the sooner he'd get to work.

"How can I help you, then?"

"Tell me about Sephiroth! He's alive, why hasn't he returned to work for Shin-Ra?" The blond president certainly didn't beat around the bush, he went straight to business. That made Hojo instantly suspicious. Anything that had to do with Sephiroth always made him suspicious.

"Why would you like to know?"

"I spoke with him in Nibelheim, through our spy. I invited him to join me, to rule the world as my second in command. He refused. Why? What is he after?"

...So the new president wasn't as stupid as the rumours suggested. There was a glint of intelligence in those blue eyes, a suspicion that Sephiroth might yet prove a nuisance to the young man. Rufus might even turn his attention to the ex-General. To Her. And to Hojo himself. Meddle with their plans. That wouldn't do. Almost unconsciously Hojo started to think how to get rid of the man.

But the Turks were always close by. He could maybe handle one of them, but no more than that. And lately that blonde one had been hanging around the president even after her shift was over. Damn it all. They'd have to be taken care of. Make them go away. Make someone else take care of them...

"You needn't worry about Sephiroth, Mr. President... he has his own concerns. I'm sure he isn't interested in taking over your empire."

"What is he after?" Rufus repeated. Behind him, Reno shivered at the look on the professor's face. He had asked Rude to accompany the boss here, but the bald man had only muttered something about Reno owing for the time he'd spent training Elena. No one volunteered to go to Hojo.

Hojo's face itself was almost expressionless, but the look in his dark eyes promised months in a glass tank to the President if they didn't get out of here now. His tone was civil and kind, of course, but the eyes spoke the truth.

"He searches for justice for what has been done to his kind by us humans, Mr. President. But I doubt he'll bother you in any way. You should not worry yourself about him. You have so much more to think about."

Rufus stared at the professor for a long moment, until it was obvious that the man wouldn't say anything else. Then he nodded, stood up and left the room, Reno in tow. Once they were outside and far from the dressing room the blond let himself shiver a little and let out a long sigh.

"The man is mad. Make sure someone keeps an eye on him, 24 hours a day."

"Yes sir..." Reno muttered and followed the President back towards safer floors, far from the laboratory. More work, just what he needed.

"Oh, and Reno..." Rufus stopped and turned slightly to face the redhead, looking thoughtful. "Back in Nibelheim... the man with Avalanche, wasn't that Sephiroth's old friend? What was his name... Lindeman?"

"...yes, sir," Reno answered, none too thrilled about where this might go.

"That's what I thought... so he has joined forces with Avalanche... make sure someone keeps an eye on them, and him, as well. I don't trust Reeve completely, he's become too friendly with our prisoners. We might have to check where his loyalty lies..." Rufus started walking again, and Reno followed him after swearing under his breath. Oh joy. MORE work. Days like these, he missed Tseng, and understood why his old boss had sometimes wished he'd retired early.

* * *

"Captain Highwind! Up already?"

Cid pulled his head out of the small plane's engine and grinned at the weaponsmith. They had arrived only late last night, and the sun was barely up now, but he and the mechanic from Cosmo Canyon were already working hard with the Tiny Bronco. With the spare parts they had brought, the two men were sure they could fix the plane in a few days. At least most of the damage, enough to make the plane fly again.

The weaponsmith had taken good care of the Bronco, even tinkered with it a bit himself, and now came to watch curiously as the engine was taken into parts and reassembled once every part was checked and the faulty ones replaced.

"No better time to start than now!" the surprisingly cheery captain said and disappeared into the plane's bowels again. The mechanic was checking and cleaning the parts Cid lovingly extracted.

"True. Anything I can get you two?" the weaponsmith asked.

"Tea would be appreciated!" Cid called out before starting to hum to himself again. Nothing could make him happier than working on his little baby. Well, maybe flying it. Or getting the Highwind back. FLYING the Highwind... ooh.

"Will do!" The man's cheery answer before he returned to his small cabin woke Cid from his daydreams just before he started to drool all over the engine. Fuelled on even more with the thought of tea to come, he returned to the task at hand, not even realizing that he hadn't had one cigarette the whole day.

* * *

/They will live in constant fear for the rest of their miserable lives, begging for mercy. That is just what they deserve, after what they did to us! They and their planet!/

Sephiroth fought back a yawn. He had heard all of this so many times, he could have given her speeches by himself if he wanted to. Right now he was feeling too sorry for himself to even be caught up in her anger that filled the whole large cavern around them.

All that remained of her body was her head, which was resting in a hidden alcove in one of the smaller chambers. But here she was strong enough that her spirit seemed to conjure up a body for her. After being so close to each other for so long, Sephiroth could almost see a short but powerful woman walk back and forth before him, waving her arms and building up her rage. His mother.

He wondered if this form, its skin a light hue of blue, was the way she had been when she had first arrived on the planet with the Cetras. The skin on her head was certainly bluish; maybe this was the image he had built of her because of that. Or then this was how she wanted him to see her, in his mind's eye. He had never really trusted her claims to be one of that race; he suspected she had been something else. Something that maybe traveled the worlds with the Cetras, but not one of their race. A being alien to this planet.

It didn't matter, anyhow, what she was. He was a part of her, her offspring. Whatever she was, he was. Alien. Not of this world. A stranger. A monster.

She carried on for a while, fuelled by her anger, until she focused all her attention to him. /It is time./

Sephiroth blinked a few times and stood up straighter, pushing all his doubts and dark thoughts to the back of his mind. "Time?"

/Time to get the Black Materia, son./

* * *

Eventually Aeris took Zax out of the room and the little house, to give her mother a little time alone with Cloud. The Soldier didn't mean harm in any way, but just standing there, worrying, was very distracting.

They sat down on the edge of the ledge, just outside the door, their feet dangling in the air. Zax wasn't happy about leaving the blond, but Aeris had been determined. He had taken his sword out and had started sharpening it, but now he just stared out over the Canyon, into the east.

"What are you seeing there?" she asked quietly, and Zax turned to look at her curiously.

"What?"

"Sorry, you just looked so focused I wondered if you were trying to see something."

"Oh, yeah... well, I'm from Gongaga... it's there, somewhere. I guess I was thinking about it."

"When's the last time you went home?"

"... it's embarrassing... it's been so long." Zax blushed a bit and scratched his neck before his hands returned to sharpening the sword. "I haven't been back since I left for Soldier, way before that shit in Nibelheim. You know... I was gonna go home then, after we'd freed Vincent. But then I never had the chance. Now I'm so close... I could have gone with Cid, they could have taken me there on their way. But... so much has happened. There, and to me. I heard about the reactor exploding... I have a feeling that my parents survived that, but I'm kinda afraid to go and make sure. And even if they are ok, I'm not sure if I am. If they'd even recognize me... damn, I sound so pathetic..." He laughed a little, a humourless noise, and shook his head. "You're too easy to talk to, you know."

Aeris laughed a little, too. "I get that a lot."

They sat in silence for a few moments, watching the horizon and the people walking around beneath their feet.

"We were never really close, not the way you and your parents are," Zax started quietly, staring into the east. "We didn't stay in touch after I left to become Soldier. A few letters, maybe. I don't know why... just... they never liked the idea of me becoming a Soldier much. And I was always with friends anyway when I still lived at home. I kinda regret it now, not knowing them at all. Heh, if I ever have kids, I better make more of an effort to get to know them."

Aeris smirked and tried to fight back a giggle but failed. Zax turned to look at her, raising one eyebrow.

"What's so funny?"

"Oh I'm sorry... I just imagined you and Cloud having children together. I bet they'd be cute..."

Zax blinked a few times before starting to chuckle and then laugh out loud. Aeris joined him and they had to be careful not to fall from the cliff.

Wiping the tears from his face, Zax waved happily to the people below who were staring up at them curiously. "Thanks, I needed that."

"I'm glad you didn't mind... I've noticed how uncomfortable you sometimes seem around him, but how you still obviously care about him. I guess what you told us the day before yesterday explains it," Aeris said after getting herself under control again. Zax sobered and nodded.

"Yeah... he sometimes freaks me out, when I remember the times in Hojo's hands. Wonder what happened to the bastard? You'd think Cloud would have at least shot him in the head now that he got the chance... stomach wounds are tricky, you might die of them, or then not."

"Zax! You're horrible!" Aeris said laughing, making the Soldier smirk.

"I know. It's part of my charm."

Their laughter died soon, and they just sat side by side, staring ahead. Aeris noticed it from the corner of her eyes when Zax turned to stare at his hands, twisting the fingers. He seemed undecided on something, biting his lip and glancing over at her.

"What is it?" she eventually asked, turning to him. Zax shrugged.

"Uh. I just had this dream... the night before Nibelheim, in that inn, remember?" He continued when she nodded. "It was really weird, I woke up feeling sick. It's bothered me ever since."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Yeah. But I don't know if I can. I mean, I don't want to freak you out or anything..."

"It's all right. What happened in the dream?"

"Well..." Zax scratched his neck and closed his eyes, thinking back. "I don't remember the beginning of it, but... what I do remember is dancing. I'm dancing in a large ballroom. With Cloud. He's wearing only this thin shroud, and even that falls off eventually, as we dance. I'm wearing a suit, the whole works, you know. White shirt, straight trousers, long jacket. There's music, but I can't remember seeing anyone else anywhere.

"So we're just dancing around when I realize that Cloud is falling apart. I don't think he even notices it, but... his legs just drop off, like he's rotting. Bit by bit. And still we dance. Eventually there's a trail of him behind us, his legs are completely gone, as are most of his hips. Blood and stuff is falling on the polished dance floor. And still we dance. Around and around. It terrifies me but we can't stop. And then I woke up. It was still night, and... he was sleeping really close to me. He had his arm thrown over my waist. And I couldn't even touch him to remove it, in case he fell apart or something. I still get that feeling from time to time."

Aeris sat still for a moment, digesting the words. "Do you... do you still think of him as something that Hojo made? Something not real?"

"Umh, not really... I thought about what you said, and... I couldn't kill him anymore. Just... there's still so much you guys don't know. About him. And me. And what happened in those five years. And before."

"What happened, then?" Aeris asked, a bit confused. She'd figured that Zax hadn't told them everything that night, but it couldn't get much worse than that, could it?

"...I can't talk about it. Not yet, anyway. Maybe not ever. Some things are better left unsaid, y'know?" Zax said and grinned, ending that conversation.

Aeris shook her head and turned to look at the man as he concentrated on the horizon again. The words were out of her mouth before she had the chance to stop them.

"I'm sorry, Zax..."

"Why?" he asked, not turning to her. Aeris hesitated for a moment.

"... for Sephiroth. And Cloud. And you. You care for them both so much, don't you?"

"...of course. They're... my best friends. And more," Zax said quietly but with conviction. "I'd do anything for them. Even... even kill them, if it's the only thing I can do. With Seph, it just might be... if she controls him. I don't want to, but..."

She leaned closer to him and placed her smaller hand on his.

"You'll do the right thing... you'll know what it is..."

* * *

Cid sat back and admired his Tiny Bronco, sitting there on the grass on this fine, sunny noon. There were oil stains everywhere, dirty hand- and fingerprints all over her faded rose sides. She wasn't pink, damn it! Her engine was all over the ground, parts of it already polished and shining, others still oily or rusty. But she was beautiful. How he had managed these years without her, he couldn't understand.

"Here's your tea, Captain!" The weaponsmith came out of his small house that doubled as a smithy and lowered the tray with three teacups and sandwiches to the ground. "Fourth today..."

Cid ignored the muttered words and grabbed one mug, not bothering to wipe his hands clean before snatching up a sandwich as well. "Thanks! Appreciate it!"

The mechanic also took a break long enough to gulp down his tea and two slices of bread before returning to work.

The weaponsmith lay down on his back and threw an arm over his eyes, basking in the sun's warmth. Cid took his time with the sandwich and especially the tea, wondering idly what was going on in the Canyon, and where Shera was. Cait, the bloody traitor, had assured them that she and Marlene were taken good care of. Yeah. As if someone working for Shin-Ra could be trusted.

Shera would be happy to see the Bronco fly again...

"...damn it..." Cid muttered and swallowed the bread that had almost stuck to his throat. He didn't love her, but... she had been there for him, even if he hadn't asked her to. He treated her like trash but she had stayed, when just about anyone else would have walked out a long time ago. He'd get her out of Midgar, and somewhere safe.

"Did you say something?"

Cid turned to see the weaponsmith peering at him from underneath an arm.

"Eh, nothing... hey, we're not keeping you from your work by being here?"

"No, it's all right. I'm not so busy at the moment. And anyway, I don't get so many visitors here."

"Yeah? Isn't Gongaga pretty close by?" Cid shoved the last of his sandwich into his mouth and wiped his hands, not wanting to get crumbs all over the Bronco.

"It is, but after the reactor blew up a few years back, the Gongagans have kept pretty much to themselves. The last person to visit me here, besides you and your friends the last time, was the manager of Gold Saucer." The man reached out for a sandwich himself and chewed on it thoughtfully.

"What did he want, something to beat people with if they spit out of the gondola?"

"Ha! No, he bought this thing I'd bought from some wanderer years ago. This rock called the Keystone."

"Keystone? What the hell is that?"

"It's supposed to open some old temple somewhere. You're not going to believe your ears, but I heard that it was the Temple of the Ancients!" The man laughed and shook his head, but Cid felt something tugging at the edge of his mind. Temple of the Ancients? Had it something to do with the Cetras?

"What's that? The Temple?"

"Don't take it too seriously, Captain, it's only a legend. The manager, Dio, said he wanted it for his collection or something. It's just a pretty rock with a legend attached to it."

"Yeah, guess you're right. Well I'm getting back to work. Thanks for the tea."

* * *

"Sorry, but I don't think it's any use. He usually comes out of it by himself, when he gets hungry enough..." Zax muttered from the door. Ifalna and Aeris had tried for the better part of two hours to wake Cloud, but had only managed to make the clone smile when tickling him accidentally.

"But if we can find a way to help him, we can use it to help Vincent, and vice versa," Aeris muttered, stroking the blond hairs gently. She laughed quietly when they jumped back up after her hand had passed over them. "Even tickling him will get us farther than doing nothing at all."

Zax chuckled and came to stand beside the bed, kneeling so that he was face to face with Cloud. "Maybe we should try tickling him awake, then," he said and reached out a hand behind the blond's ear. Cloud blinked a few times and smiled again, his eyes almost closing. The Soldier was just about to pull a gil from his ear when the clone opened his mouth.

"...materia."

"What?" Zax asked, and the coin he'd hidden in his hand fell to the rumpled blankets. Both Aeris and Ifalna leaned closer.

"Cloud, what did you say?" Ifalna asked, taking a hold of the blond's hand.

"...temple... Sephiroth?"

"Seph?" Zax grabbed the thin shoulders and shook the clone gently. "Cloud? is Seph talking to you?"

* * *

/Well? Did he understand what he has to do?/

Sephiroth opened his eyes with an irritated sigh. Jenova didn't like Cloud, and Cloud didn't like Jenova, so he had to relay her orders to the clone. Easier said than done, considering that the clone was made by Hojo, after all, and was lacking in so many ways.

"I think you may have fried his brain, mother. He's even thicker than before."

/He disobeyed my command not to shoot Hojo. I had to punish him./

Sephiroth shuddered and concentrated again on the clone. Closing his eyes, he left behind the crystal and stone walls of the Crater and entered the hazy mess that was Cloud's mind. He didn't like coming here when the clone was like this. It was like he was separated from the rest of the world and from reality by a thick gauze, making everything look blurry and sound muffled. There was too much occupying the mind, too many memories, too many outsiders demanding the little attention there was to give. Hmph. She said she didn't like coming in here, but she was in everything Sephiroth saw. Hojo had left a piece of himself here as well, as had that shadow creature from the mansion, but its presence was very small now.

The memories were all over the shadowy place, drifting and searching for their place, trying to sort themselves out. He caught images of them if he happened to touch one, and didn't know whether to curse or praise Hojo when he saw things that had been transferred from Zackery's mind to this mess. She had helped the professor in that, without a doubt.

He pushed through a lump of memories running all over themselves and forced his way over to where he could see better. Ah. There it was. Covered by high but shaky walls. Sephiroth pushed himself off from what could be called ground, if ground was light blue and in shreds like a torn sheet, with struggling images underneath it. Flying here was no easier than walking, but it was faster, if only by little. He hated being here. Hated the thought that it wouldn't take much effort to reduce his or Zackery's mind to this. Hated that with his powers, he could do something to clear this mess. It wouldn't take much to drive Hojo and the remains of the shadow out, wouldn't take much to strengthen those walls a bit, or to block out the memories that were clearly unnecessary to the clone. For with all that Cloud needed to know of his past and Sephiroth that had been sucked from Zackery, Hojo had also transferred almost all of the Soldier's other memories. The mess was unbelievable, considering that the cells the clone had been grown from had indeed kept some of the memories of the real Cloud Strife.

He could do all that, but she probably wouldn't like it.

He landed beside the walls that protected the shaking being which tried its best to stay sane in all this, and pushed through the walls. Not breaking them, that would destroy everything. He just moved through them and, with more gentleness than even Zackery had received from him, bent down and picked up the center of Cloud's being. It looked vaguely like the blond, and had its eyes squeezed shut tightly. He cradled the thing for a moment, but soon felt the pressure from outside the walls. If he remained here too long, he might endanger his own mind.

Pulling his lungs full of air (what a strange thing to do... he was in someone's mind, there was no air here. Nor voice or substance, for that matter... mustn't go there, just give the order and get out!), Sephiroth held all of Cloud's scattered being tight against his chest and burned his words into it, making them commands as profound as 'breathe'.

/"Go. To. The. Temple. Of. Ancients. Get. Black. Materia. For. Me."/

She had told him that the Black Materia, which would help them in their cause, was at the Temple of the Ancients. They weren't sure where exactly it was, or what it was like, but it was surely somehow guarded against them and anyone who'd use the Materia against the Planet. Hojo had made the clone especially for this: To go to the Temple and get the Materia.

Letting go, Sephiroth stepped outside the walls and felt the haziness around him start to swirl around, faster and faster like a tornado, until the thoughts and memories burned red and screamed, clawing at him, begging and screeching and tugging and pulling him in--

"NO!"

Sephiroth opened his eyes and fell back, catching himself just before collapsing to the ground. Gasping for breath, be barely had time to realize where and who he was before she demanded his attention.

/Did he understand what he has to do?!/

"...yes. I'm sure he got the message this time, mother."

* * *

Professor Gast pushed his glasses up to his forehead and rubbed his eyes. The good news was that the demon that had controlled Valentine hadn't come back. Yet. Bad news was, they hadn't really made any progress with the man either. The ex-Turk just lay strapped to the bed, unconscious and unresponsive to anything that they tried. Bugenhagen believed that they had found a way to at least control the demon even if they couldn't remove it completely. But what would be the use if they couldn't get the man to wake up?

There wasn't much they could do without knowing exactly what had been done to Valentine, and he couldn't tell them if he felt any different with their help.

"Ho ho? What's this?"

"Grandfather?"

Gast lifted his eyes to where Elder Bugenhagen and Nanaki stood beside Vincent's bed. He stood up quickly and came to stand next to them to see that the man seemed to be in pain.

"Is the demon causing this? Is it awakening?"

If anyone was going to give him any kind of answer, it was drowned out when the unconscious man started to scream.

* * *

Professor Hojo winced when the scar pulled at his skin uncomfortably. Damned clone. He hadn't believed for a moment that it would have the guts to shoot him. It probably wouldn't have, if that voice hadn't ordered it to. The voice that had sounded suspiciously like Sephiroth. The General hadn't given him much respect anymore in the past years, but he had thought that the man would obey Her. She wouldn't have let Sephiroth hurt him like that, unless She was mad at him. Had he done something to anger Her? No, he couldn't think of anything. He had obeyed Her every word, and was working for Her even now, even though beads of sweat stung his eyes so that he could barely see, even though his guts still hurt from the bullet. He'd always obey Her, She knew that!

Muttering to himself, Hojo wiped his brow and concentrated on the task at hand. She had informed him that the plan was going into action, that he'd better be ready soon. He intended to be prepared; after all, his reward would be to be with her when the time came.

The wave of pain hit him from nowhere and dropped him to his knees. He could hear his assistants shout and run to him, but it was all unimportant. Only the blinding pain was real, paralyzing him. Damn the clone.

After a moment he realized that the pain wasn't of his body, it wasn't his injury reopened and bleeding. The pain was solely in his mind, tearing thought his mental walls like they were paper. But being around Her for so long would have taught anyone to shield their minds, and Hojo was quite good at it. He managed to separate himself from the feeling, and realized that the pain wasn't even his own.

Looking at it from the outside he tried to figure out where the pain came from. It left a burning white trail, and following it, Hojo knew he could find the source of it. He was sure he could identify whoever it was who was sending this pain to him, whoever wanted him to hurt like this. It might be consciously or unconsciously sent, but he'd find out the culprit, and send the pain back, doubled. But if it was Her... he couldn't raise a hand against Her, She knew it. Was She punishing him?

There it was. He couldn't actually see the one, but could get a sense of him or her. And it wasn't Her. No. It was the clone. In considerable pain, reflecting it all around.

Professor Hojo regained consciousness laughing.

* * *

Zax was thrown back against a wall half a second before Cloud started to scream. He managed to stay conscious, even though the pain that ran through his head was enough to make him see stars. The scream made his ears hurt like they were bleeding, and he was eternally grateful to Aeris who threw her arms around the clone and sent waves of healing through him. Still, it took a while before Cloud stopped screaming.

"What was that? Mother?" Aeris asked, shaking but still hugging the blond tightly. Ifalna shook her head and winced, lifting a hand to her left temple.

"I... I don't know."

"Did you feel it too?" Zax asked, pointing at his head while he gathered his wits and stood up, leaning against a wall.

"I felt something," Ifalna muttered, frowning and watching Cloud's face carefully. The thin lips were moving slightly but made no noise. Eyes were squeezed shut so tightly it looked like they'd never open again. The clone's skin was deathly pale and he was shaking in Aeris' arms.

When Zax felt like he could trust his legs again he hurried back to the bed and kneeled in front of Cloud, taking his hand. "Cloud? What happened? Tell me, please?"

"...Za-aaa..." Cloud moaned. Aeris let him go and the blond slumped into the Soldier's arms, slowly wrapping his own around Zax's neck.

"Shh, it's all right..." Zax muttered and sat up on the bed. "What happened?"

"Seeephh'rot... materia..." Cloud whispered and sobbed, still squeezing his eyes shut. Zax's eyes flashed with anger and pain. If his friends hurt each other, whose side would he take? Whose side could he take?

"Seph hurt you?"

"...h've t' go..."

"Go where?" Ifalna asked gently, but the blond didn't answer anymore.

"I think he passed out. Shit," Zax muttered and carefully lowered Cloud on the bed. "I don't know what the heck happened... but I felt it too. At least some of it."

"Let him rest for now. We'll try again later," Ifalna said and got up.

They left Cloud in the bedchamber and moved to the larger room of the small apartment. Zax put the teakettle on as they were all shaky and needed to calm down a bit before being able to even start thinking clearly again. The water was just boiling when there was a sudden and hasty knock on the door. Before Zax could even move to open it, a young boy burst in.

"'scuse me, but I was told to tell you all to come to the observatory right now!"

"Is something wrong?" Ifalna asked, alarmed, already half out of her chair. But the boy shook his head.

"No ma'am! But somethin' happened! You better come quick!"

"All of us?" Zax checked, not knowing why he would be needed there.

"Yeah, Zax! You and Cloud and Miss Aeris and Lady Cetra!" The boy almost jumped in anxiety. "Elder 'hagen said to hurry!"

"Well then, I suppose we must hurry!" Ifalna said, smiling at the boy. "You go on ahead, we'll be right there."

Zax was about to ask what exactly had happened, but the kid slammed the door shut before he could open his mouth.

"Maybe it's about Vincent..." Aeris guessed and turned the stove off while the Soldier went to get Cloud.

* * *

The backlash left Sephiroth's ears ringing and he blinked furiously until the walls stopped spinning around him. His connection to the clone was so strong that he could feel much of the pain his command had caused, even though he knew how to separate it from himself, to feel the pain but know that it wasn't him hurting.

/He should be taught to shield himself better! Everyone who's been in contact with him must have felt that!/ Jenova said, surprisingly weakly. She must have gotten her share of it as well.

"His brain is mush, mother. We're lucky that he doesn't drool all of the time..." Sephiroth muttered, too annoyed to care whether she heard him or not. Her mental slap let him know that she'd heard him.

/He is your responsibility, son. We need him soon. Make sure he doesn't fail. If he breaks, fix him./

"...yes, mother..." Sephiroth growled between clenched teeth.

/And this time, make sure that he does what I want him to do!/

As he had expected, she ignored him after that. He leaned his back against a wall and slid down to sit on the floor. He was a slave, not a god...

...She had all but ordered him to fix Cloud's mind. Sephiroth closed his eyes and let out a long sigh. It would make the clone operate better. That was why she wanted him to do it. It would also be a way to make some amends to Zackery... reason enough for him not to disobey.

* * *

Zax's mind hit a wall. He had no idea what to say or do. This was all happening so fast.

They had hurried up to Bugenhagen's observatory right after the boy had left. Zax had carefully carried Cloud there, almost losing his grip on the ladder a few times. Nothing would have stopped their fall, but luckily he had managed to hang on. Now the blond was resting, still out of it, in a large armchair just outside the room they were gathered in.

Ifalna stood next to her husband who was talking to her quietly. Bugenhagen floated around, looking pleased while Nanaki sat next to the bed, clearly mistrusting the man upon it. Zax and Aeris stood side by side, staring at Vincent, who stared back, his blood red eyes large and confused.

* * *

A.N: Shielding, mental stuff... blame reading Robin Hobb and Yami no Matsuei all year... hope it wasn't too bad...

The scene with Hojo and Rufus took about three weeks to write. The rest was done in two evenings.

Happy holiday-things to all, and if you want to be really nice you could give me a review for my birthday...

A.N. 2008:

Aeris: "...I just imagined you and Cloud having children together. I bet they'd be cute..."

Sora and Roxas from Kingdom Hearts. Totally.


	29. 2, Chapter Eleven

Thank you thank you all for the lovely reviews! And, of course for reading my weirdness! And KMS for betaing! So many mistakes in this one...

* * *

**Chapter eleven: Where is my mind?**

-

"Vincent? You ok?"

Vincent blinked his blood-red eyes slowly and turned minutely to stare at the nervous Soldier. He had hoped he'd never have to wake up again, that he could just stay in that dark, horrible place and be forgotten. That the world would leave him alone. But apparently that wasn't happening. The pain had hit him out of nowhere, and when it had receded he had found himself awake and in the nightmare that was his life.

Sure, this exact moment was better than being tortured by the four demons, but it was only a matter of time before everything would start to go wrong again. Someone would betray him, someone he trusted would turn their back on him... was there anyone alive anymore who he could even begin to trust? He didn't want to be hurt again because of his own foolishness. He wouldn't let himself open to anyone anymore. As soon as he had a chance, he could end it all...

"...yes. I am fine..." Vincent croaked. The green-eyed girl who had been standing next to the Soldier disappeared for a moment and returned with a glass of water. Zax helped him up a bit and she brought the glass to his dry lips. Straps. He was strapped to the bed by his wrists and ankles. Was it for his safety or theirs?

"Can't we let him go now?" the girl asked, turning away after giving him a quick smile. Vincent turned his neck to see whom she was talking to. Oh yes. The flying old man, and...

Professor Gast?

The Professor came to stand next to the bed and looked down on him, giving him a careful smile that reminded him of the girl's smile. Of course. She must be a child of his. Vincent didn't move as the man checked his reflexes and eyes.

"What do you think, Elder? Is it safe to let him free?"

"Hmm ho ho, yes. I don't think he'll give us trouble," the old man said, now hovering at the bed's head, looking down at him as well.

"He better not..." came a low, growling voice, but Vincent couldn't see who it was. The Elder laughed.

"Now now, Nanaki, it's all right. Mister Valentine seems to be doing fine. Can you feel the demons? Are they trying to get out?"

Vincent guessed that the questions were aimed at him and shrugged. What did it matter? But... just out of curiosity, he concentrated for a moment, seeking out their presences from his mind. They were still there, he was sure of that, but it seemed like the four demons had retreated somewhere far into his subconscious.

He opened his eyes again and noticed that everyone around him was staring expectantly, and more than a little nervously. He decided to put their minds to rest. He had sinned enough; he didn't need to make all these people worried as well.

"I can feel them, they are still here..." He lifted his shaky right hand a little, to point to his head, "but they feel far away. Hidden," Vincent muttered, not looking at any one of them. He could almost feel their relief washing over him. The green-eyed girl leaned closer and started to undo the straps at his wrists, ignoring the cautious noise Professor Gast made. Zax went to free his feet. How could the Soldier be kind to him, remembering how the man had wanted to kill him the last time they met? Except that... when Chaos had been in control, he'd seen through the demon's eyes... he'd seen Zax again, and Cloud. He had killed the blond boy, but Hojo's little project had been alive again.

Vincent groaned and lifted his freed left hand to rub at his eyes. This was all very confusing. How much time had passed since he'd given up? What had happened?

...What had happened to his left arm this time?!

With a start, Vincent opened his eyes and stared at his left hand. Gone was the metal claw, gone were the dark scales, and even the ridiculous attempt of a wing Hojo had thought might be amusing. All gone. His hand was completely human again. Pale, pinkish flesh, normal fingers, five of them, with fingernails and joints and bones and muscle. On the other side he could see the lines of his head, heart and life, as unreadable to him as they'd always been, but there. He lifted his right hand up as well, brought them side by side, turned them around and regarded them. Two perfect human hands, not even calloused anymore from holding a gun. And no pain. He felt weak and tired, but moving his fingers no longer sent flashes of pain all the way up to his eyes.

Vincent was so mesmerized by this miracle that he didn't even hear what the people around him were talking about. Only when Zax leaned over, putting his head behind Vincent's hands, into his line of sight, did he turn away. "Yes?"

Zax smiled and winked. "Did you hear anything they said?"

Vincent just shook his head. Zax shrugged and stood back straight, his smile slipping. "Yeah, well, listen this time. I'm gonna come back later and talk to you one-on-one."

He watched as the Soldier lifted a hand to pat him on the shoulder but hesitated at the last moment and pulled away, leaving the room. Guess he was still mad.

Professor Gast came to the bed's side again, cleared his throat and tried to look at him in the eye when he spoke. "Elder Bugenhagen and I have searched for a way to rid you completely of the demons, but we're not sure if that's possible. But even so, we're hopeful that we've managed to lock them up for now, so to speak. We'll still keep an eye on you, and we'll need you to tell us straight away if something feels not right. Understand?"

Vincent nodded after a moment. Was the man serious? Were they really trying to help him? Would it be of any use when Chaos wanted to fly again?

The Professor nodded and stepped back, turning to talk with someone. The green-eyed girl came to his view again, smiling.

"Are you hungry? Thirsty? Is there anything you need?"

He looked up to her and blinked a few times. "Your name." It was really annoying to think of her as the green-eyed girl.

She looked a bit surprised and he could swear that the whole room had gone quiet in a heartbeat, but then she was smiling again. "I am Aeris. Nice to meet you, Vincent."

"Thank you, Aeris. I need nothing," he muttered, turning his eyes from her. She stood there for a moment longer before suggesting that they'd let him rest now. Vincent closed his eyes and listened to the sounds they made when leaving the room. He doubted they'd leave him completely alone when they weren't sure if the demons could come back. Even so, he was startled almost out of his skin when two huge red paws suddenly appeared by his shoulder, not to mention the shoulders and head that went with it. One eye peered at him suspiciously from beneath a dark mane. Hot breath warmed his naked skin.

"We'll keep an eye on you," the beast growled with a low voice and Vincent deduced that this must be the one the Elder had talked to. Nanaki.

"As you wish," he answered coolly and closed his eyes again. He could feel Nanaki's stare for a long moment more but then the beast was gone as suddenly as it had appeared. But it was still in the room.

* * *

Sephiroth was more careful this time when entering the clone's mind. Luckily for them both it was far calmer than when he'd left. But it still was a bloody mess. He couldn't possibly fix everything, and certainly not at once. But he could do something. For starters, he could block Hojo and that shadow creature out. Neither had a very strong grip on the blond anymore, but they were still both distracting and potentially dangerous.

He hoped that his actions would have some immediate effect in the 'real' world, something that Zackery could see. Something that would make him happy. Even just a little.

Wondering if his own mind was anything like this mess of memories, thoughts and entities, Sephiroth made his way towards the spot where he had last found the center of Cloud's being. Jenova had told him that he could move through the minds of others like a ghost, but he had tried it once and found it one of the most horrible experiences of his life. It was like being slowly torn apart, just floating away from himself, losing that which was his core, his essence. Panicking, he had only barely been able to pull himself together and return to the 'real' world, the world of flesh and pain. She had scolded him for not trusting her enough, for not following her orders. He had refused to ever try again. Eventually she had accepted that, but scorned him for it. He still had nightmares of falling apart like mist in the wind. It was more taxing but safer to maintain a 'physical' form, even if he was here only in spirit.

Memories ignored him as he passed them, although he could feel and see something of them when one slid through him. He suspected that the entities could feel him, or at least feel that something was different with the mind they were connected with. He certainly could feel them. Mild curiosity from Hojo, impatience from Jenova, and something like fear or remorse from the faint connection with the shadow creature. Sephiroth concentrated on that one, but it kept slipping from him. He tried to grab it with his hand, but caught nothing. Then he realized that he had no idea what the hell he was supposed to do.

Giving Cloud Jenova's orders had been easy enough, but what now?

Even if Cloud was just a clone, he still was a living being. Not a broken toy which could be fixed with glue or thread and a needle, not a wall that could be rebuilt with bricks. Looking around, Sephiroth realized that he was completely at a loss of what to do.

"Oh brother..." he muttered and sat down heavily, not caring if there was anything material to sit upon. He buried his face in his palms and sighed, as much as it was possible to do anything physical like that in someone's mind.

"Hello, Sephiroth."

Sephiroth's eyes flew open when he heard the words. Careless! He hadn't noticed at all that someone had walked, or appeared next to him. Let alone the three people he saw when he looked up. The trio made his jaw fall almost to the ground.

There was Cloud. And Cloud. And... someone who looked what Zackery and Cloud merged together might look like. They were standing around him, looking down at him curiously. The Zax/Cloud grinned almost wickedly.

Sephiroth stood slowly, careful not to give the trio any reason to attack him. They didn't seem hostile, though, mostly curious, but soldiers didn't survive by trusting just anyone they met. He tried to keep an eye on all of them, but one was always behind his back. They moved around him, half walking, half gliding through the 'air'. The Zax-like one kept grinning at him, and tried to grab the hem of his long jacket. The other two were almost identical, only that one was a bit shorter than the other, and somehow more... real? Sephiroth didn't know how to describe it, but the taller one felt artificial, or empty, unfinished. The clone. So the shorter one had to be the original Cloud. And the third... a mess of memories from both Zackery and Cloud?

Well. This was interesting. Now what?

"Watch it," Sephiroth growled and turned, making the third Cloud giggle and flee a few feet. But it also let go of his hair. Just like Zackery, always teasing. The other two stepped closer and stared straight at him when Sephiroth turned back. The two pairs of glowing blue eyes startled him, but he soon got himself under control. "What do you want?"

"Why are you here?/What do YOU want?/Please don't hurt me..."

They all spoke at once, with the same voice, and all around him. It took Sephiroth a few moments to separate the words from each other. It didn't help that the Zax/Cloud was pulling his hair again. He waved his hand behind his back, trying to catch the nuisance, and heard a giggle when the facet of Cloud's being escaped from his reach.

Last time he had encountered just one entity; was it one of these, a different one, or had it split into these three when he had imprinted his command upon it?

"Could you speak one at a time, please?"

"...no./Yes./Why?"

"It would be easier to me if all three of you wouldn't speak at once."

"Three?/There is only one./There is only me," The three Clouds declared, then joined hands and started to walk around him like playing children.

"Look, I want to help you."

"Help?/I don't need help./You need help." Now they were running, almost flying. Sephiroth turned from side to side, desperately trying to keep up with them.

"Listen, I --"

"I'm not the one sitting in an ice cave./I'm not the one talking to a severed head./I'm not the one who follows orders just because it's easier than living." The three Clouds were nothing more than flashes of colour trailing in circles around him, but their voices reached him perfectly.

"STOP IT!" Sephiroth screamed and covered his ears, closing his eyes tight. This wasn't how this was supposed to go!

Everything went quiet, and when Sephiroth dared to open his eyes, there was no one there. He lowered his hands and looked over his shoulder. Nothing. Just the chaos of memories. He turned back and swallowed hard.

The room was exactly as it had been five years back. Cobwebs in the corners, the bed, the chair, the secret door that lead to the basement. Blood on the floor, on the door, the walls. Vincent standing there with a smoking gun, staring at the still bleeding corpse at his feet, his red eyes glowing madly. The thin smoke rising from the gun and the sound of the running footsteps outside the room seemed to be in slow motion.

"Why... why are you showing me this?" he whispered to no one in particular. Vincent didn't hear him, and neither did the body on the floor. But the facet of Cloud that appeared by his side heard, and answered.

"He killed me. I trusted him and he killed me. How could he? I thought he was my friend. Now I am no more..." the being whispered, staring at the blood on the floor. Sephiroth licked his lips as the footsteps came closer. Soon Zackery would kick the door in, and see what had happened.

"You... you are alive still," he said when he got his voice under control. "You are still here, you are one with your body. You are alive."

The door exploded into splinters and flew open with the force of Zackery's kick. The splinters floated through the air like it was water, slowly but in perfect arcs. It was almost beautiful. Sephiroth lifted a hand to cover his face instinctively, but the splinters sailed happily through him.

"But how? I died. Vincent murdered me."

"Not all of you died. Part of you survived, and Hojo... he... he gave you a new body. You are alive."

Zackery's sword flew slowly towards Vincent even before the Soldier was in the room, but the weapon stopped just above the man. The ex-Turk opened his mouth and words flowed out in normal speed when the scene before them caught up with time.

("It wasn't locked.")

The scene faded and Sephiroth found himself standing again on the shredded floor of Cloud's mind. The facet of the original Cloud stood next to him, staring down at its hands. He opened his mouth to say something to it, to convince it that it lived, but the noise behind him made him turn around, and the next scene sucked him in.

The laboratory in the mansion's basement was far too familiar to him by now. But Sephiroth hadn't visited it when Professor Hojo had kept both Zackery and Cloud in there. The Soldier was slumped on the floor of his tank, sleeping, if the snoring could be trusted. The other tank was full of Mako, glowing green in the dark room, the same shade as the few computer screens. Sephiroth walked closer and peered into the tank, seeing that there was someone in it, soaking in the thick liquid.

Cloud. Of course. But this was the clone. It hadn't developed completely yet: it looked human enough, but there were small things that made his skin crawl. The tubes going into its back, feet that weren't covered by skin yet... luckily the face was almost complete. Sephiroth almost pressed his nose to the glass to get a closer look. Was this how he himself had been created in Her image?

"Shit!" He let out a loud scream when the clone suddenly opened its eyes and looked straight at him. Sephiroth stumbled back, halfway through the table before he caught himself and calmed down. Just a reflex, it couldn't possibly have seen him... except that it was watching him, and coming closer. Against the glass. Coming through the glass. Another facet, he realized, when he saw that the body was still in the liquid, eyes closed. He was almost angry, mostly at himself because he had let this nonsense scare him so.

The facet floated to him and wrapped its thin arms around his right arm, pressing its head against his shoulder. Sephiroth fought back the shivers and swallowed. "Is this what you wanted to show me?"

Cloud stared at the tank for a moment, blinking slowly. When it opened its mouth, the words came out slowly, lazily and without any emotion.

"I was created here. For you and her. Built from pieces and sewn together with Mako. Hojo made me. A monster. A puppet. And you pull my strings." The blue eyes turned to stare at him now, and Sephiroth felt as uncomfortable as he had felt often in Hojo's hands. The eyes seemed to bore right into his mind.

"I-I didn't ask for any of this. Hojo has his own agenda, as always."

"You don't want me?" The arms squeezed his now, and Sephiroth tried to pull away but found that he couldn't.

"No. I mean yes. I mean... I can't OWN you. No one can. You are you, you belong to yourself, no matter what others say." He said the first thing that came to his mind, and let his mouth take over, not exactly listening to what came out. The clone had a tight hold of him now, and it was making his skin crawl.

"But you told me what to do."

"Yes, but... but... I still can't... you don't... I don't own you."

"You force me into doing what you and Jenova want me to do."

"Yes but... other than that, you still have your own free will. Your own emotions, your own body. Your own existence. Because of what Hojo did to you, you have to do some things. But other than that, you are yourself. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?"

The facet stared at him thoughtfully for a long moment, but nodded eventually, and the laboratory disappeared. The clone let go of him and went to stand next to the first facet, taking hold of its hand. Sephiroth let out a long sigh and wondered when the third one would drag him into some twisted memory.

Someone tapped him on the left shoulder. Sephiroth turned to see and heard giggling from his right side. Of course. The Zackery mutant. The thought almost made him grin when he turned instantly and managed to grab the facet by the neck of its dirty, torn shirt. He had never had clothes like that himself, but had seen other kids wearing them, the kids who were free to play outside, who climbed trees and played in grass and wrestled in the sand and ran barefooted through puddles. The kind of kid that Zackery undoubtedly had been.

"Now, what do you want to show me?" he asked, not even realizing that he was bowing so that their faces were at the same level. The facet blinked its blue eyes and grinned like Zackery, running a tanned hand through light brown spikes.

"I want you to play with me!" it shouted happily and slapped his arm. "You're it!"

"I'm what?" Sephiroth asked, completely puzzled, but the facet had turned and was running away from him, laughing. He stood back up, frowning, and glanced over his shoulder at the two other facets who were just standing still. "What do I have to do?"

"You have to catch me, dork!" Zackery II screamed from where it had ran. Sephiroth snapped his head around just in time to see it stick its tongue out at him. "You can't catch me, you can't catch me!"

Sephiroth's eyes thinned to slits as he glared at the facet. "Watch me." He broke into a run, accelerating quickly. The facet eeped and turned, laughing merrily as Sephiroth chased it.

It lead him through memories that had to belong to both Zackery and Cloud, they were so different from each other. He couldn't see the one whose memory it was, since it was seen through their eyes, but the scenery and the overall feeling of the memory was enough to tell him whether it was Zackery's or Cloud's. At least in most cases. Every time he touched one he felt like he'd lived it, and he ran through dozens of them. The chase seemed to go on forever; the facet was fast and good at finding places to hide in, memories to slip under or around where Sephiroth had to go through and experience the whole thing. But eventually he caught up with the smaller one, maybe because the facet let him, or because he had longer legs. At that moment he didn't really care anymore. He knew more about Zackery and Cloud than he had even wanted to know, and his head was starting to hurt.

"Ok, now I'm it! I have to catch you!" the facet informed him happily. Sephiroth shook his head.

"No... now we... go back." How could he be out of breath?! From running after an annoying brat like that?

"But... I don't know who I am yet. What here is mine, and what isn't."

He sighed and, much to even his own surprise, put a hand around the facet's shoulders. "I can't help you with that. You have to speak with Zackery, he'll tell you what's yours and what's his. Come now, we have to get back."

Zackery/Cloud nodded, and they were again standing where they had started. The two other facets stood hand in hand, and the third walked quietly to them, taking their hands.

"Thank you/Thank you, Sephiroth./Thanks..." they said as their hands started to melt together. Sephiroth dared to sigh with relief when they were joined up to their elbows and the joining quickened.

"But you still have to stop lying to yourself..."

He snapped his head up at the words but the world started to swirl and before he had time to object he found himself sitting on the ice-cold floor of the Northern Crater. He stood up immediately and tried to return, but realized that Cloud had blocked him out.

* * *

"...watch Hojo, watch Zax, watch Reeve, watch my back, watch your language, watch where you walk..." Reno growled, pulling out his cigarettes and lighter. Rude shrugged his shoulders which was probably the biggest sign of amusement you could get from him. Elena turned to her superiors (superior indeed!) and wrinkled her nose. They should be proud of what they were! Only the few and chosen ever made it to Turks! How had these two managed it? They just complained, drank or sat in a corner of lounge in the 61st floor, reserved only for the Turks. No one else dared to come close. Even the cleaning ladies avoided the secluded corner as long as they could. It was a good spot, they had a clear view of most of the doors to the floor and of everyone who moved there.

That was where they were sitting now, waiting for Rufus to end his meeting with Heidegger and Palmer. It would have been fun to watch him cut their funding, but the President had requested that they'd be left alone.

"Does he think we have eyes in the backs of our heads?! There's only three of us, how can we keep an eye on everyone he's suspicious about, when he's even suspicious of our spies! Just wait, soon he'll have us spying on each other!"

"...I'm already spying on you..." Rude said, sounding amused. Reno laughed and threw a piece of donut at the bald man. Rude caught it and popped it into his mouth.

"So it's you who's been peeking through my bathroom window while I'm in the shower? Pervert!"

"You shower with the window open and without a shower curtain. Exhibitionist."

Reno threw a whole donut this time, and Rude caught it again, dunking it in his coffee. Elena sighed and sipped at her decaf.

"Maybe we should recruit new members, then?" she suggested. It was a perfectly good suggestion, so she was surprised when they both stopped joking around and turned to her, amazed.

"Shit, woman! Are you mad?" Reno said while Rude shook his head.

"Why not? What's wrong with it?"

"Do you have any idea how much WORK getting new recruits AND training them is?! No way!" The redhead almost shivered with dread and put his coffee mug (which read, 'You may borrow my mug but I will have to kill you for it!') on the table, taking a sip from his small bottle instead. Rude held out his hand and Reno passed the bottle to him. Elena sighed. How low had the mighty Turks fallen?!

"...what if I take care of it myself?" she suggested after the bottle had returned to Reno's pocket. The other Turks exchanged looks and Reno leaned back in his chair.

"Well, like I said, it's a hell of a lot of work, but... whaddaya think, Rude? She up to it?"

Rude shrugged.

"If ya think you can handle it, sure. Check with the Prez first, though," Reno continued. Elena nodded determinedly, finished her coffee and stood up, heading towards the closest door. Rude and Reno watched her go, and high fived when she couldn't see them anymore.

"We are so good it scares me." Reno grinned and took the bottle out again. "Make them think it's their own idea, and boom, it's taken care of. She'll even do her share of the rest of the work. And we can lean back and enjoy the rest. Ah, rookies..."

"...we still have to work until the recruits are trained."

"...damn."

* * *

Vincent came out of his slumber when the door opened and let in yellowish light. When had the room gone this dark? Was it night already, or was it because someone had turned the lights off? The door closed, leaving him in the dark again. With his eyes open, there was the familiar red hue to the darkness, and he soon realized he could see perfectly well even without any light. Turning his head he saw his new companion. A dark figure on a chair, not far from his bed. Staring back at him with glowing, violet eyes.

"Zax?"

"You're up." The Soldier stood and pulled the chair closer to the bed, then sat again.

"...yes."

"I don't know if they told you, or if you realized it yourself, but we're gonna be watching you all the time. Just in case. And because we don't really trust you. No offense."

"None taken. If Chaos tries to take over, I don't know if I even want to fight him..."

Zax swore, but Vincent couldn't tell whether it was aimed at him or at the thought of the demon.

"You know, I've half a mind to strangle you right now..." the Soldier muttered, startling Vincent completely awake. He almost smiled at that.

"Then why don't you? Save us all some grief."

"Because." The man crossed his arms over his chest, clearly frustrated but determined. "They've done so much to help you. We tried to save you that one time. You helped Cloudy. Aeris is worried about you. Cloud pleaded for your life. We suspect you might lead us to Jenova."

Vincent would have laughed mockingly if the words wouldn't have surprised him so completely. Did these people really want to help him?

"So Aeris asked to give you one more chance. She's too nice for her own good. She'll end up getting stabbed in the back if she's not careful..." Zax was muttering.

"Do they honestly think they can help me? Rid me of the demons?" Vincent asked after an uncomfortable, quiet moment. He watched as Zax sat up straighter and shrugged, not looking at him.

"At least they'll try. They're good people, they want to help."

"But you don't think I'm worth helping, do you?"

Now Zax did look at him, with a strange expression on his face. The younger man was quiet for a long moment, and Vincent thought he wouldn't answer at all, but the Soldier finally opened his mouth.

"Don't get me wrong, I am mad at you for what you did, but... you were used by Hojo. He's manipulated you for longer than anyone else. Well, maybe not as much as Seph, but still. I never knew you that well, but... you are worth helping. Everyone is. Hojo fucked you up, that's not your fault."

"Sounds like you've given it more thought than just now," Vincent said quietly, wondering what was the little spark of warmth inside him. Zax shrugged once again.

"Yeah, well, I have. People should take responsibility for their actions, but I guess it isn't quite the same when you're one of Hojo's puppets."

"...puppet. What a fitting word. That's just what we are to him. And to her. Jenova. They use us as they wish." Vincent felt angry. It felt good. He had been so passive for so long that he had almost forgotten what feelings were like.

Zax chuckled. "Yeah? Have to agree on that. We're gonna get even with them. Somehow."

"Good luck," the ex-Turk muttered. A small part of him, deep inside, almost buried, jumped up and volunteered to join them. It would be good to see Hojo suffer, to see him pay for all his crimes. But Vincent felt that he didn't deserve to see it.

The Soldier shrugged, staring at a wall again. "Thanks."

Now he felt almost disappointed that Zax hadn't invited him to join them, but he hadn't actually given them reason to trust him. Why did it have to be like this? "...After I... I mean Chaos, left Nibelheim... what happened?" he eventually asked when the silence became unbearable, even to him. Zax shrugged again.

"After that? I kinda passed out. So I don't know for sure. But to keep it short and simple, which it isn't, Seph went a bit funny in the head, thanks to Jenova, and took off, and me and Cloud spent the next five years in Hojo's care. Then we escaped, came here, and met the Avalanche. They were searching for Hojo, who had kidnapped Gast and his wife. We rescued them, met your dark side Mister Chaos, kicked his butt and, well, here we are now." Zax had leaned back in his chair, standing only on two legs, and was rocking gently. Vincent was too busy thinking to say anything.

He had guessed that time had passed, but five years? It seemed so little, compared to his last, long sleep, but so long, considering what had happened. "Where is Sephiroth now? Is he... is SHE with him?"

"We don't know where he is, but we suspect the Northern Crater. And she's with him. The bitch. She's probably controlling him, but if I get to talk to him, I'll try to get him to snap out of it. He's not... stupid, you know. If I can just talk to him without HER interfering, I can get him to think for himself."

Vincent wanted to wish him good luck again, but remembering how Jenova had pulled his strings without him suspecting at all, he believed that all of Zax's good intentions were in vain. So he didn't say anything, and the silence grew strong between them.

They were both startled when the door opened a bit, and someone slipped into the dark room, closing the door quickly. When his eyes got used to the darkness again, Vincent could see that this person's eyes glowed as well, even more fiercely than Zax's. And they glowed pale blue.

Cloud.

He watched as the clone stood still for a moment, probably letting his eyes get used to the dark, and then started towards Zax's chair, walking a bit wobbly. The Soldier had turned to watch him as well.

"Hi Cloud. Feeling better?"

The blond nodded, leaning on the chair's back. Vincent watched him blink a few times.

"Zax? I'm hungry..."

The dark-haired man sighed and pulled Cloud to sit on his lap, the blond head leaning against his shoulder. Vincent couldn't help but feel a bit jealous. But why? Because Cloud trusted someone else than him?

"I told Aeris and her mom that you'd wake up when you got hungry enough... did they listen? Of course not..." Zax muttered, but there was amusement in his voice. "Wait 'til morning, ok? I'll get you something then." Cloud nodded and closed his eyes. The blue glow didn't disappear entirely, as it was strong enough to push through his eyelids.

"Hey. Go sleep somewhere else, ok?" the Soldier muttered with a smile and nudged at the blond, but Cloud only shook his head, yawning. "Come on, Cloud. Go to bed."

"...I'll wait for you..."

"Wait outside, I'm talking to Vinnie here."

Blue eyes opened. "Vincent?"

The ex-Turk swallowed uncomfortably when the clone sat up and turned to stare at him. Cloud slid off Zax's lap and walked slowly towards the bed. When he was standing next to it, Vincent had to look at him.

"Vincent?" Cloud said after a long, quiet moment. "...why did you kill me?"

"Come on, Cloud, time to go to bed," Zax said. He'd gotten up and was now holding the blond's shoulder tightly. But Cloud shook him off almost angrily.

"No. I want to know why he killed me! Why he pretended to be my friend and then sh-shot me!"

Vincent winced when the words rose to a shout. Zax had stepped back and was shaking his head, not daring or wanting to intervene, leaving Vincent to Cloud. He swallowed again and closed his eyes. He didn't want to answer because it would mean he'd have to admit that he had let himself be fooled, he'd been gullible enough to believe the lies he'd been fed. So he said nothing, and closed his eyes so that he wouldn't have to see the rage and sorrow in the blue ones. But Cloud wasn't about to give up.

"Tell me!" The clone grabbed his arm and shook it, almost violently. Vincent remained quiet and hoped that Zax would do something already. Then he remembered that the Soldier was still mad at him.

"...Cloud, come on. Talk later when you're both feeling better, ok? Come on, I'll get someone else to come and stay with him, and take you home. You're both tired now. Cloud?"

Apparently, miracles did happen, even to him.

Cloud didn't object so much this time when Zax took him by the arm and pulled him out of the room, giving Vincent a quick glance. The ex-Turk was grateful and relieved, but started to despise his own weakness soon. He couldn't even defend himself.

"...my sins are so much worse than I had thought..." Vincent muttered and closed his eyes. The words reminded him of that time five years back when he had been gullible enough to believe a feverish dream of Lucretia. Only because he had so hoped that it would be true. But nothing was real. Everything was just a lie, love and trust the biggest lies of all. He'd been a fool to ever believe otherwise, and would be an even bigger one if he now tried to make himself believe that this time would be any different.

"Vincent? Are you awake?" The quiet words woke the ex-Turk from his thoughts. He hadn't even realized that the door had opened, even though light was filling the room again. He blinked and nodded, and the door was closed. Who was guarding him this time? He had recognized the voice... the green-eyed girl. Aeris.

She sat on the chair Zax had brought close to the bed and sighed. She had brought with her a small candle, and had placed it on a table close to the door. It illuminated the room a bit, not too much to make it uncomfortably bright, but light enough to drive the darkness away. "Zax asked me to come in while he went to take Cloud to bed, but I promised I'd stay with you for the rest of the night. I wasn't sleeping anyway."

"...rest of the night? What time is it?"

"Almost three in the morning. Everyone else's already in bed."

"Why aren't you?" Why was he being this chatty with her? Ok, he had asked only two questions, reasonable ones, but that was two more than he'd usually bother to ask.

"Oh, I slept a while earlier. I don't need a lot of sleep, and I like to stay up at night, watch the stars and listen to the land, you know. It's easier in the night, when there aren't so many people around with their intruding thoughts." She must have noticed his confusion as she smiled and shook her head. "I'm sorry, I'm babbling again. I just love to talk. But you must be tired. Please, go back to sleep, I'll watch over you."

"...thank you," Vincent muttered and closed his eyes. He could feel her calming presence but strengthened his mind against it, reminding himself not to trust anyone. Even if she was kind to him now, it would soon change. Nothing that was close to him could remain untainted. He would destroy everything that came close to him, everyone who cared. The closer they got to him, the worse was their end.

...Her humming was threatening to break his dark mood. But it also calmed him enough that he eventually slipped into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

Zax watched curiously as Cloud changed his clothes before going to bed. He was itching to ask how much the blond remembered of the past, before Nibelheim, but didn't want to upset him more. It could wait a little. He shivered a little when he saw the plug-ins, just below the nape of Cloud's neck. This time Hojo had made them travel down the spine, but a few trailed towards the thin shoulders, like some sort of a macabre tattoo. There were at least twenty of them, but they were smaller, not so easy to see.

"...What?" Cloud asked, looking at him almost timidly. Zax realized that the blond had already dressed and was sitting on the bed. He shrugged and smiled.

"Sorry, I was just thinking. How are you feeling?"

"Ok, I guess. Hungry."

"I'll find you something in the morning. Sleep for a few hours, you probably need it," Zax said and smiled, even though the thought of getting Cloud his 'food' sent shivers down his spine. But he still felt happy. The blond was feeling better again and seemed more awake and sane than in a long time. Maybe for the first time in over five years.

Cloud nodded and crawled to the other side of the bed. He lay down and pulled the covers up to his shoulders. "Okay, but not too late then. I have to leave in the morning."

"...Leave? Where?" Zax frowned and sat on the bed. Cloud turned to him and yawned.

"I have to find the Temple of the Ancients." Then he turned to face the wall. Zax felt a cold dread creeping up his spine and reached out to pull the clone back to face him.

"Cloud? What are you talking about? What temple? And why? I don't understand."

The blond blinked a few times and sighed. Then, speaking slowly and clearly, like to a slightly thick child, he explained: "I have to find the Temple of the Ancients and bring the Black Materia to Sephiroth." Then he turned again, pulling the blanket up to his ears, signaling that the conversation was over. Zax covered his mouth with a hand and wondered why he felt so horribly scared.

-

* * *

A.N: I promise, they will eventually get out of Cosmo Canyon... I've been spending much more time playing Kingdom Hearts than writing lately... (reviews make me write faster!)

Must... get... Fool's Fate... Robin Hobb is too good...

Happy new year to everyone! :D


	30. 2, Chapter Twelve

So sorry for the lateness of this chapter! -bows humbly- I'll try to be faster with the next one... and thank you so much for all the reviews! -bows again- They really make me try all the harder when writing...

What do I own? Nothing. Nada. Zilch. But I completely invented Cid's 'name'. He he he. Don't worry, I won't use it again. Ever. Unless I really need to. Hopefully I won't. Sorry if the text is all scrunched up together, I can't get it to obey, no matter what I try. Grr...

Haven't heard a beep of my beta in a while... drop me a line if you read this and are still interested? :)

Now, when this chapter starts, think of the music that always plays when you get to fly the Highwind! :D

* * *

**Chapter twelve: This could be the start of something...**

-

Mountains, rivers, forests, deserts, everything was just where he liked them - far below him! Above him was only the blue sky, the few clouds that dared to interrupt this beautiful day with their presence, and the warm sun, gliding upwards to kiss the sky. To fly again was so perfect that Cid Highwind forgot all of his problems. It didn't matter that the world was dying, or that Shera and Marlene were held captive. He couldn't care less that Sephiroth had gone nuts and wanted to rule the world or something, or that the members of Avalanche were at a loss at what to do. It didn't even matter that he had missed his chance to go to space, or that the Highwind was still in Shin-Ra's hands.

All that there was, at that moment, was the Tiny Bronco, humming perfectly as they soared through the air towards Cosmo Canyon. Everything else could go to hell right now, Cid had his baby back and was satisfied.

Somewhere below him, the mechanic from Cosmo Canyon was driving back towards his home. Cid would arrive there hours before the man, even if he took his time with it.

But when he came nearer to the town he became more determined to reach it soon. Oh, he'd show off with the Bronco, make sure everyone would see it. Maybe fly around town a few times, but even though he loved the small plane, there were now more important things than getting it back. Hell, he'd never thought he'd see the day when he'd be more interested with the affairs of other people and the state of the world than his planes and the space. But right now, this stinking planet he'd so hoped to leave needed him. Yes, it needed even Circinus B. Highwind's help. That was odd. Even stranger was that he was ready and willing to do everything it took to help.

Why did he have to pick this moment to become so damn unselfish?!

* * *

"Good morning, Miss Shera. Marlene. Did you both sleep well?"

Shera looked up from the book she had been reading and Marlene smiled at the man before resuming her play. The room they were kept in at the Shin-Ra headquarters wasn't as bad as one might think when considering that they were held captive. But this man had taken care of it, made sure that the room was comfortable and warm, and that the two lacked nothing that he could bring them. They had food, spare clothes and blankets, a radio to listen to, books to read and toys to play with. Basically the only thing they lacked was their freedom.

"Yes, thank you. Good morning, Mister Reeve." Shera said and put the book down, smiling a bit as the man closed the door behind him and put the breakfast tray on the table.

"Please, just Reeve." He said and sat on the edge of Marlene's bed, looking down at the girl playing on the floor.

"Is there any news, Reeve?" Shera asked, catching his eyes as he looked up.

"Nothing out of the ordinary. They are all fine. Captain Highwind still hasn't returned to the Canyon. Please, eat your breakfast before it gets cold."

Shera and Marlene ate their breakfast quickly and quietly. Reeve sat with them, not saying anything but not wanting to leave, either. He felt at peace with them, although there was guilt mixed into it. They were prisoners here, the enemy, as Rufus put it, but Reeve preferred their company to anyone else's in the HQ. But people were already getting suspicious of him, he knew that they were watching his every move. Only here he could relax, but the more time he spent here, the more his co-workers watched him.

* * *

"Okay. He's off to take them breakfast. Let's do it." Reno muttered and stepped into the corridor after they couldn't hear Reeve's steps anymore. Elena nodded and followed as the redhead slid the master keycard in and opened the door to Reeve's office. He tsked when he thought of the horrible things that could happen if one of the master cards ever fell into the wrong hands, giving someone, say, like him, access to all the rooms and offices in the HQ, save for the President's private rooms and the laboratories. He slid the treasure into his pocket and motioned for Elena to get in. The blonde nodded and carried her equipment in. Reno checked the hallway once more before closing the door.

"We have ten minutes tops. No time to waste..."

Elena was already looking for a place to set the small camera in, and pulled a chair into the corner where it would show them all the monitors that showed what Cait Sith saw. While she hid it in the air vent Reno placed a few bugs and tapped the phone. It wasn't likely that the members of Avalanche or any other terrorist group were going to phone the head of urban development to chat, but when you worked for Shin-Ra you never knew. Reno was sure that his own phone was tapped. So was Rude's, of course (like he ever used it) and Elena's (who always used hers. He should know, he always spied on her mail, and the phone bill was astronomical. When did she have the time to talk so much?).

Even though they had to work quickly, the redhead kept glancing at the screens in front of him. Nothing seemed to be going on, the robot cat was still in Cosmo Canyon, inside one of the houses, watching the town from a window. Some people were moving around but Reno didn't recognize any of them. Members of the Avalanche must still be in bed, or plotting Shin-Ra's downfall somewhere more private.

"Ok, all done!" She let him know and jumped off the chair, putting it exactly where it had been. Reno looked at his watch and whistled approvingly.

"Six and a half minutes. That's pretty damn good. For a rookie. Ok, let's go. He usually stays there for ten minutes or so but let's not push our luck..." Reno stood up and checked that everything was as Reeve had left it or at least seemed like that.

"Yes sir!" Elena saluted and followed him out and back to their office. He left her to check on all the gimmicks and went to check on the lab assistant who had been bribed to be their new spy. The man could only be trusted until someone else paid him more, but even though Hojo was maybe the most suspicious bastard Reno had ever met, the Professor didn't seem too worried with the loyalties of his assistants in the HQ. Good for the Turks, bad for Hojo.

* * *

Zax had intended to join the others at the observatory, but the thought was lost when he watched Cloud twirl a sword around in the small bedchamber. It wasn't the same he'd bought for the blond ages ago, when they were going to rescue Vincent. No, Cloud had bought this one himself, just a moment ago. And he seemed to know how to use it.

The Soldier shook his head, turning his eyes away from the glint of the morning sun on the sharp blade. He was still confused about what Cloud had said last night, and again this morning, when Zax had returned home with breakfast. The blond was leaving to find the Temple of the Ancients, to search it for the Black Materia, which he was going to take to Sephiroth. Zax had heard the explanation twice now, but still didn't know what to say. He desperately wanted to talk about it with Aeris and her mother, ask them if they knew anything about it.

"You're going to... you don't even know where? Why?"

Cloud stopped practicing and lowered the weapon, turning his eyes to the Soldier. His mind was clearer than in a long while. He could actually think for himself again, even though the command to go and get that special materia wouldn't leave him in peace. It was so simple, why was Zax having such a hard time understanding him?

He put the sword on the bed and picked up the gun Chaos had given him. "I have to do this. Sephiroth told me to." He lifted the back of his shirt and hid the gun to the small of his back, held there by the waistband of his trousers.

"But... how? When did you speak with him? In Nibelheim?"

"No. Yesterday." Cloud pointed to his head, making Zax shake his.

"Maybe you dreamed it. You don't even know where this... 'temple' is. IF it even exists! I've never heard of it!"

Cloud frowned and turned to stare at the floor, blushing with annoyance. "It does. I know where it is. And I'm going."

A hand on his shoulder made Cloud look up to see Zax's smiling face looking down on him. The smile still wasn't what he knew it had once been, and now it was tainted further with a flash of worry in the violet eyes. "Cloud, I don't want you to go."

"...you can come with me. I'm sure Sephiroth won't mind." The blond suggested, picked up the sword again and headed towards the door. Zax stood still, shaking his head, but soon ran after him.

"Cloud, wait! Come on, wait just a few more days! At least until tomorrow! Please!"

He stopped at the door to see Cloud already start descending the ladder. His heart skipped a beat. He knew Cloud was stronger than he seemed, but he still felt dread every time the blond climbed one of the numerous ladders in the town. The Soldier swore quietly to himself and followed Cloud, forgetting to even close the door.

* * *

/Well? Have you reached him already?/

Jenova was getting impatient enough to be on the verge of rage, and Sephiroth was getting the migraine of the century. Again.

He believed that he had been successful in 'fixing' Cloud's mind. He couldn't say for sure, because he had apparently done it so well that the clone had not only blocked Jenova, Hojo and the shadow creature out, but him as well. He was not as used to visiting people's minds as Jenova was, so he didn't know how to find another way in, either.

"No, mother, I haven't..." he said between gritted teeth, for the umpteenth time, and repeated the end of the sentence as well "...but when I left him he was aware of what he needed to do."

/You have to find a way in, son! We have to be able to control him!/

The headache made him say it. If he would have been thinking clearly he wouldn't have let the words out of his mouth. "Why don't YOU find 'a way in', then?"

Her slap was mental, which made it worse than a real one. Sephiroth's ears rang from the sheer strength of it, and he saw two of everything for a moment. The ex-General of the whole Shin-Ra army sat down heavily on the ice-cold stone floor and covered his head with his arms, hoping that they'd protect him from her rage. Of course they didn't.

/You insolent child! How dare you speak to me, your MOTHER, that way?! Have I not given you life? Have I not given you strength, power and magic? Have I not taught you everything? Am I not giving you the world?! Is it too much to ask that you respect me, that you do something for ME?!/

Sephiroth had pressed his hands to his ears but it did nothing to stop her words from entering his mind. He squeezed his eyes shut tight and saw bright lights when the migraine got worse.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean it! But I can't get into his mind again! Just let me rest for a while, please, I'll try again later! I'm sorry!" The first words had come out as a shout, but his voice had broken somewhere around the fourth word, and the hoarse, high voice had sounded much more like the voice of the child which he had never had a chance to be than of the man who he had thought he was now. But it worked. It was unintentional, and he felt ashamed for showing such weakness. But it worked, somehow it awakened a motherly instinct or something in her, and Jenova stopped her raging intrusion upon his mind.

/All right. I am sorry, son, I sometimes forget that you are not as strong as I am. Rest. But keep in mind that we have to keep a hold on the puppet, or it might cut its strings and turn upon us. But rest now./ With that, she left his mind, and Sephiroth slumped down on the ground, shivering and relieved. He could ignore the coldness and hardness of the ground, all he needed was to close his eyes and rest. Just for a moment. Rest. And not to dream of what it would be like if he had ignored her five years ago.

* * *

Aeris still sat beside Vincent's bed. She had dozed for a few moments every now and then, and was trying to rub the stiffness out of her neck while guarding his sleep. She wished that there would be a way for her to help the man, but to do that she'd need to know so much more about him. Why was he so closed from the world, so sad, almost hostile towards everyone? Had Hojo done something so awful to him, or had Vincent himself made mistakes that he still regretted too much to care for anything else? He didn't really seem the type to talk about what was bothering him, or about anything, come to think of it. He seemed almost prepared to die, or to spend the rest of his existence alone. She wished that she could do something, but feared that there was nothing she could do unless he wanted to be helped.

Still, she managed to pull a genuine smile on her face when the man on the bed woke up.

"Ah, good morning, Vincent!"

"...it's morning already?" He didn't seem to be too happy about it, but Aeris nodded.

"Yes. The sun's been up for a while now, it really is a beautiful day outside. If you're feeling up to it, I can get you something to eat."

"No thank you. But I'd like some water."

"Coming right up!" She smiled and stood, stretching a bit to get the sleep out of her body.

"And... could you get me some clothes, as well..." Vincent muttered, fighting back a blush. He was wearing a pair of shorts and the blanket covered only his legs now, leaving his chest and arms naked, the scars on them for anyone to see.

"I'll see what I can do!" She promised and turned to smile at him one more time before leaving the room. The ex-Turk closed his eyes again and sighed.

All conversation ended in the room when Aeris opened the door. Once it was closed again, her father came closer and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Good morning, dear. Is he awake yet?"

"Yes, I promised to bring him water and clothes. Good morning, everyone."

Her parents, Elder Bugenhagen and almost all members of the Avalanche were in the room, looking at her and especially at the door behind her. Only Yuffie was missing, and Cid, who hadn't yet returned. She looked for them but found that Zax and Cloud weren't there either. "Something going on?"

Barret nodded when no one else said anything. "Yeah. Cid's coming today, he just phoned me. They fixed the plane. So we're gonna meet when he gets here an' figure out what to do next, and do it."

"I suppose we're going after Sephiroth and Jenova?" She flinched slightly when the latter name made both her parents shiver.

"She is still not completely a part of this world. She will try to live again through him, one way or another. And that would mean the end to all life on this planet. As much as I detest killing anything that lives, it's the only way to be safely rid of her. To destroy her completely. And him, as well." Ifalna had stepped out from her husband's side, addressing them all, assuring them of what had to be done. "If she perseveres, even in the form she is in now, her existence will keep the Planet from healing itself."

Everyone nodded their agreements, even Cait Sith's mog bobbed its head up and down.

"So where do we start looking?" Tifa asked, twisting her hands nervously. "We suspected the Northern Crater earlier, should we start there?"

"It is where Jenova originally landed, so she's probably the strongest there." Ifalna confirmed their suspicions.

"Didn't Zax say he thinks that Cloud can sense Sephiroth somehow?" the dark-haired girl pointed out.

"Yeah, but the weirdo's still out of it..." the gun-armed man answered.

"Oh, he woke last night. So we can ask him what he thinks." Aeris said, but even her smile faltered when the leader of Avalanche gave her a look that didn't actually radiate trust for her belief in the clone.

"Even so, there's still the problem of gettin' there. We'll see when Cid gets back." Barret muttered. In the following silence they could all hear a quiet buzzing sound that became louder and louder.

"Hey you guys! He's here!" Yuffie's loud voice carried even through the closed door. Tifa, who was closest, opened the door and they could see the small airplane flying in circles above them, lower and lower. The ninja girl was standing outside the observatory, jumping up and down and waving her hands.

"He'll have to land it in the valley..." Professor Gast suspected when they all hurried outside to watch the show.

Cid was apparently having fun flying again. He was going in circles around the observatory, sometimes so close that it almost deafened them. He flew the Tiny Bronco in hoops, upside down and spiraled it down towards the valley's floor, only to pull it up just before crashing to the rocks.

"Show-off!" Yuffie screamed when the Bronco flew just above their heads and finally turned to land. The ninja was first on the ladder, and the rest of Avalanche followed her. Aeris asked for her mother to take to Vincent what he had asked just before following her friends.

* * *

Reno snapped out of his daze when his pager went off, silencing the room and earning him angry glares from half the board members. The Turk snatched the device from his belt and silenced it, reading the short message from the screen.

Bingo.

"Uh, sir?" he leaned over to whisper to the President's ear. "We might have something on Avalanche. May I be excused?"

Rufus waved his hand absent-mindedly, dismissing him. The redhead almost danced when he left the room, feeling the envious stares of Heidegger and Palmer on his back. He was free and they had to stay! Ha ha!

Sometimes he and Rude paged each other, if one was in a board meeting or in some other painful place. No one questioned them when they got beeped away, and they happily abused it. Elena only did it when there was work involved. Still, it was better than listening to endless complaints about small budgets. Even though he had learned to doze eyes open and standing, the voices still bothered him. Ear plugs, that was the answer. But then he might just continue sleeping when the meeting was over, and blow his cover. Why did things have to be so damn hard?

Elena almost had her nose pressed to the screen when he reached their office. Even though Reeve was probably contemplating suicide in the conference room, Cait Sith operated on some sort of auto-pilot, and judging from the quick movements in the smaller screen which showed on their spy-TV, something was happening.

"I think Highwind is returning." She explained simply and pressed a few keys in the keyboard which made the camera zoom in on the TV's in Reeve's office. Reno grunted, moved a pile of folders (they were labeled Turk candidates, he leafed through them almost unconsciously and realized that Elena was actually going through the cadets in the Soldier-program to find new Turks!) to a nearby chair and sat on the table's edge, stealing a donut from a plate next to a mug of cold coffee.

"So?"

"So, they're going to decide what to do next! Should we let the President know?"

"Nah, it can wait until the meeting's over. I think Heidi and Palmy deserve all the senseless torture they're getting..." Reno muttered with a sadistic grin and leaned over her shoulder.

* * *

Zax and Cloud had stopped to stare at the show as well. The blond had paled considerably just watching the small plane, and even the Soldier's stomach had lurched when he remembered the trip to the reactor at Mt. Nibel and the crash-landing into the sea. But when the Bronco disappeared from their sight to land, Cloud took off towards the gate again, and Zax was busy trying to stop him.

"Cloud, come on! Wait just until Cid gets back! I wanna talk to him some, and then I'll go with you, ok? Just an hour or two. Hey, I wanna go with you!"

Maybe it was his words, or their desperate tone, or the fact that he had caught Cloud's arm and anchored his feet firmly to the ground, but the blond finally stopped and turned to him.

"All right, I'll wait. But I have to get going soon."

The members of Avalanche came out to the large plateau soon after them, and Zax went to talk with them, dragging Cloud along. The blond and his sword got more than one suspicious look from them.

"Looks like he got the thing working!" The Soldier said as a hello. Barret nodded and kept his gaze on Cloud's sword even though he spoke to Zax.

"Yeah, ya took the words from my mouth." Cloud glared at him for that, and the dark man turned to Zax. "We'll figure out what to do next as soon as Cid gets here. You two are welcome to join us."

"Great, thanks. We'll do that." Zax promised, ignoring Cloud who was trying to tug his arm free.

"I can't wait that long, I have to go!" the blond argued, glaring at the Soldier.

"You promised to wait until I've talked with Cid. This won't take too long."

"Where are you going, Cloud?" Aeris asked.

"That's actually what I want to talk to you about." Zax said before Cloud could answer. "Do you know anything about the Temple of the Ancients?"

The flower girl frowned and nodded slowly. "Yes. Mother would know more, but I do know something. Why do you ask? You're not going to try and find it?" She turned to Cloud who nodded solemnly. "But why? No one is even supposed to know about it."

"I need to go there," was the only answer Cloud would give. Aeris looked at Zax who shrugged.

"Maybe we ought to talk with your mom first."

Cloud groaned and tugged his arm violently, almost making the Soldier lose his grip. "Zax, you can talk to anyone as much as you like, but I have to go now. Get it?!"

His angry words seemed to unnerve the others who were paying more attention to their conversation than to Cid who was already shouting something from halfway up the stairs. Zax seemed trustworthy enough, but they didn't know what to think of the blond. Only yesterday he had been near catatonic, and now fully awake, aware of everything, seemingly sane but nervous. And strong, seeing that Zax was having problems keeping him still. The Soldier smiled, trying to calm them down, but frowned the next second when Cloud almost slipped from his grasp. He pulled the blond into a tight bear-hug, and held on.

"Zax! Let me go!" Cloud growled and struggled, but in vain.

"Hey what's this, a parade to welcome me back? Gee, I figured you guys'd miss me, but this much? Aww, I'm touched!" Cid's half laughing, half sarcastic voice made them all turn to see the pilot at the top of the stairs, leaning on his spear, grinning like mad.

"In your dreams, old man!" Yuffie answered but still rushed over to hug him. Cid pushed her away after a moment and held out his hand. The ninja sighed and returned the three materia back to their owner.

"The Bronco's working like a dream!" Cid told them as he walked towards the group, swinging his spear casually to his shoulder. He grinned and pulled out a cigarette. "I couldn't get all the parts she needed, but she'll fly perfectly for a while now. As soon as we hit a bigger city, I'm gonna take care of those, too, and then she'll be as good as new! So, what's happened here?"

The members of Avalanche glanced quickly at each other, then at Zax and Cloud, and turned to Barret. The gun-armed man shrugged one shoulder.

"The Turk's up, an' so's he," he pointed at Cloud over his shoulder with a thumb, "an' we decided to head to the Northern Crater. Now we just need to figure out how."

"Simple." Cid said and shrugged, turning to blow the smoke from his cigarette to Yuffie's face, making the girl cough and back away before she got near his materia again. "We got the Tiny Bronco, we take her to Junon, or where ever those Shin-Ra bastards are keeping my Highwind, get her and ZOOOM! Fly to the Crater in a jiffy."

"Yeah but we can't all fit in the Bronco..." Zax pointed out, remembering how tight it had been last time. He was still holding Cloud tightly, and now the blond seemed to finally lose his temper. He stomped his foot on the ground and not-so-accidentally on Zax's toes as well.

"Zax! Let me go NOW! I am not getting on that plane EVER again, I'm going to the Temple, and you better decide fast if you're coming or not!" Then he kicked the Soldier's ankle roughly, realizing that the steel caps on the boots covered the toes from stomping on them. Zax yelped but held on.

The others had stepped away from the livid blond, but Cid leaned closer, suddenly serious. "Yo, kid! Earth to Cloud!"

"What?!" Cloud glared at the pilot, although the pained faces Zax made behind him took some credibility out of his rage.

"The Temple? You're not, by any chance, talkin' about the Temple of the Ancients?"

"How do you know about it?" Aeris asked, annoyed that the thing her mother had told her to keep secret seemed to be common knowledge among those who shouldn't have even heard of it.

"The weaponsmith who took care of the Bronco used to have this thing that's supposed to be a key to the place. He didn't really believe it, but if the place's for real, hell, maybe the thing is, too."

Aeris paled. "The... the Keystone? Where... where is it? Does he still have it?"

"No, he said he sold it to the guy from the Gold Saucer, Dio. The guy wanted it for his collection or something. So the Temple's real? And the stone, too?" Cid had leaned curiously towards the flower girl, and the rest were watching her as well, following the new turn the conversation had taken. Aeris breathed deep and closed her eyes for a moment.

"Yes. it's real. All of it. But it's supposed to be a secret, so that no one who would abuse what's being held there would find out about it."

A silence followed, until Zax broke it hesitantly. "Um. Let me guess. What's in there... it would be a really, really, really bad idea to let Seph have it right now, right?"

"Yes. A very bad idea." Aeris confirmed, blinked, and turned to Cloud who stared straight back. "Oh no..."

"Sephiroth wants it. I have to go and get it. Now." The blond said quietly but clearly.

"You can't! It would mean the end! He could destroy us all with it!"

"What? What's in there?" Yuffie asked for everyone who wasn't exactly following the conversation anymore, which was pretty much everyone.

"...the Black Materia..."

* * *

"...Mister Valentine? Are you awake?"

Vincent opened his eyes when the new yet familiar voice spoke from the door, and turned to see Professor Gast's wife. Aeris' mother. She looked very much like her daughter, or should it be the other way around? What did it matter? "Yes."

He closed his eyes again when she walked into the room, leaving the door slightly open. Apparently she didn't trust him as much as her daughter did.

"I brought you some water, and clothes. Are you well enough to sit up?"

She might not trust him, but that didn't stop her from being kind and gentle with him. Vincent opened his eyes again to see her leaning over him, looking at him a bit worriedly.

"...I think so."

He found that he had enough strength to sit up easily, and even to get dressed. The warm clothes drove the chillness of the stone-walled room away, and he felt good enough to even stand and walk. But he remained sitting, cradling his left arm to his chest instinctively. It had hurt so much to move it before that he couldn't get used to the fact that there was nothing wrong with it anymore. Still, he reached out his right hand when she offered him the glass of water.

"Thank you." He muttered when she took the empty glass away, to place it on a nearby table. The ex-Turk took a good look around, now that he could see more of the room than the ceiling.

It was some sort of a laboratory, but a far cry from the cold and hostile place that was Hojo's kingdom. The stone walls all around made the room cold, but the warm colours of the stone and the wooden furniture, not to mention the few potted plants, made it seem almost like someone's home. There were no windows, but light flooded in through the open door now, and the woman was lighting a few candles here and there, enough to give light but not to make the room painfully bright. Vincent was thankful for that and, in spite of himself, started to think that these people really weren't just waiting to stab him in the back. At least not right now. Could he actually relax here?

"Is there anything else you need?" Her question brought him back to reality. Now that he was warm and well rested, he was actually starting to feel a bit hungry. But he didn't want to eat, not now.

"No thank you. You have been kind to me." ...why did he say that? Both Aeris and her mother seemed to have a way to make him say strange things, just to make them happy.

Ifalna did smile at him, although more shyly than her daughter. She lowered her eyes and even blushed slightly, if Vincent's eyes didn't deceive him. "Oh, it's nothing. But let me know if there's anything you need. I'll be right outside."

He nodded and she turned to leave, but hesitated. Vincent felt cold again, expecting her to turn around and hurl some insults at him. She did turn, but only came back to the side of the bed and leaned closer, smiling enigmatically.

"Would you do something for me, please?"

A bit at a loss of what to do or say, Vincent nodded. "...Sure. How may I help you?"

"When you leave... please, keep an eye on Aeris. She's a good girl, but doesn't always remember to take care of herself. Anyone else, just not herself."

He stared at her for a long moment, puzzled, and shook his head. "I am sorry. I don't think I can do that. I doubt that your daughter and I will ever travel together."

She just smiled that same smile again and stood back up. "Just keep your promise, Mister Valentine..." she said and left the room, leaving the door a bit open. Vincent stared after her and shook his head slowly.

* * *

Back in Midgar, Reno and Elena pulled back from the screen, turned to each other and grinned.

"Methinks we just earned ourselves a big, fat bonus, baby!" Reno said and they high fived.

"Don't call me baby ever again or I'll break your legs, Reno."

"Whatever you say, baby... hey! Yeowtch!"

-

* * *

A.N: Circinus: (latin skillsaw, compass) Circle, a constellation in the southern sky.

Next chapter it's bye-bye, Cosmo Canyon! I'm as eager as Cloud to get out of there, and into some action! ;) This chapter was a bit shattered, but I had to get all the pieces to their places. Hope it wasn't too bad...

In other news, I'm supposed to graduate in a few months, so I might not have much time to write in the near future. And since I don't want to end up giving you people shit, the next chapters may take a while longer. But I'm not giving up on this story, it's fun to write and I'm curious as to where it's going... it won't tell me...

Thank you for reading! Reviews, as always, loved and adored!


	31. 2, Chapter Thirteen

...what have I got in my pocket? ...a candy wrapper. That's all I own. So no character/place in this story is mine. Thank you very much for the reviews, people, and of, course, for KMS for being a wonderful beta! Take care!

This was written under the influence of too much sugar, and the editing at one particular scene is probably messed up, but I hope it's readable. Actually the whole document seems to be squished together, again. I'd say a word or two about this new QuickEdit, but I'm afraid I'd be kicked out straight away for the language... Is it just me or is anyone else having problems with that?

* * *

**Chapter thirteen: Learning to fly**

-

Cloud was not amused. He had intended to be well on his way by now. He wasn't too keen on leaving, or traveling to the distant island where he knew his destination was. But the command that rang inside his head as strongly as the beat of his heart gave him little choice.

He could have caught a chocobo and be well away from the Canyon by now. He had never actually caught a chocobo, he somehow knew that it was something new to him. But his mind carried a memory of luring one of the large birds with greens and hopping on its back when it was busy eating. He remembered riding the startled animal straight into the jungle and to the other side, almost into the arms of a group of monsters looking for dinner. But the chocobo had been a quick one, and they had managed to escape. Eventually it had thrown him off its back, and he had limped his way back home, rubbing his injured behind, musing on how much money he could have made with it in the Chocobo Races at the Gold Saucer. Mom had been mad at him when he had gotten home, and dad had grounded him for a week, but it had been worth it.

He couldn't really remember ever having a father. Must have been one of Zax's memories. He'd have to ask the Soldier. As soon as he wasn't mad at him anymore. Cloud had intended to be far from here by now, but here he was, up in Bugenhagen's observatory, with the members of Avalanche, Zax, the Elder and Aeris' parents. And Vincent was just on the other side of that door. He nailed his blue eyes on the door, trying to convince himself, and the door, that he could see through it. He was intentionally ignoring the ongoing conversation. It didn't concern him: he was going to the Temple, not to Sephiroth. Only when he had the Black Materia would he go to Sephiroth.

But gathering the bits of the conversation that his mind hadn't ignored, it was clear that no one wanted him to go to the Temple. No one wanted him, or Sephiroth, to get the Black Materia.

Ifalna's anxious words earlier had silenced them all for a moment. "We cannot allow Sephiroth to get the Black Materia. Even if we stop Cloud from getting it for him, we can't be sure that he doesn't just find some other puppet. The Materia is not safe at the Temple, I'm afraid. It is guarded against those who would use it against the Planet, but it's not unreachable."

"So what exactly does this Black Materia do?" Cid had asked, but the Cetra hadn't given them a straight answer; she had only said that the Planet might not survive it.

"We just have to stop Sephiroth, any way we can."

That had lead to more talking, and eventually they had decided to go to the Temple, get the Materia, and bring it back here, where they could figure out a way to keep it away from Sephiroth. Cloud had, of course, ignored the whole conversation until they started to decide who would actually leave, first to get the Keystone and then to the Temple.

"So who wants to go an' get it? With the Bronco?" Barret said, looking around in the crowded room. Yuffie had almost shot her hand up, eager to get to the new, special Materia, but quickly changed her mind with the mention of the small airplane. Cid nodded, not wanting anyone else flying his baby. "No more than five or it's gonna be tight!" the pilot added, looking around at the others.

"I'll go," Barret said when no one else seemed eager to volunteer. "Those who ain't comin' can stay here an' keep an eye on that Turk and... other things." He glanced quickly at Cloud who caught his eyes and frowned. Zax sighed when the blond stood up.

"Count me in..." the clone said quietly but clearly, staring up at Barret. The taller man frowned and shook his head.

"You nuts? You jes' said you'd take the Materia to Sephiroth, an' you still think we're lettin' you anywhere near it?!"

"I'm. Going." Cloud said stubbornly, his hand clearly inching towards the hilt of his sword. Zax grimaced and tensed, ready to jump in if needed.

Barret wasn't the only one who seemed ready to lock the blond in the same room with Vincent and lose the key, but the Soldier had to admit that it wouldn't be the smartest idea to let Cloud anywhere near the Black Materia.

"No. You're. Not." Barret answered just as stubbornly, lifting his gun-arm slightly. "Listen, blondie, there's no way in hell you can give me even ONE good reason why you should go, so shut up!"

"I'm going, with you or alone. If you won't get me there, I'm sure Sephiroth will." Cloud's ice-cold words stopped the leader of Avalanche before the man could turn away from him. The whole room seemed to freeze.

Barret turned slowly back to the small blond, his eyes now full of barely contained rage. "Are you threatening us? You little... you think you can order us around?!"

"Barret, please!" Aeris stopped the inevitable fight half a second before Zax could. She left her place between her parents and walked to the two, putting a calming hand on Barret's arm before turning to the blond. "Cloud, you must understand, we have to keep the Materia away from Sephiroth, and letting you near it would put it closer to him."

Cloud frowned and, eventually, nodded. "I'm not threatening you. I'm saying, I _need_ to go to the Temple. I was programmed to do that. And if I don't get there any other way, Sephiroth might take care of it. Faster than any plane."

"Just whose side are you on?" Barret roared to Cloud's face, ignoring Aeris who tried to calm him down.

"I don't know. But I don't want to die. If I can't do what I was told to do, I am useless, and being useless to Jenova and Sephiroth means being dead."

The clone's words were quiet and level now, and his eyes locked to Barret's again. The gun-armed man opened his mouth angrily but couldn't find anything else to say.

"Cid? What do you think?" Aeris asked, making the pilot twitch and give her a 'don't you drag me into this' -look. "You're the pilot, after all."

Cid swore under his breath and ran a hand through his hair. "Bugger it. Kiddo, you think you can keep backstabbing the Planet to a minimum if we let you come?"

"This is mad. This won't end well..." Barret muttered, shaking his head.

"Looks like we don't have another choice," Aeris muttered, smiling sadly as she reached up to touch Cloud's cheek gently. "We leave him here, he'll either die or beat us to it."

The blond blinked a few times, finding that he didn't have the strength to hold the forgiving look Aeris was giving him. "...I'm sorry. I don't mean to be trouble, but I can't help it," he whispered only to her.

"Take him with you, please. He might be able to help, in some way," Ifalna said suddenly, and her words decided it. Gast started to protest, but she squeezed his hand and the Professor fell silent.

Barret's shoulders sagged and he nodded, glaring at Cloud. "Fine. But I'm watchin' you, clone..."

"I guess I'm in then, too..." Zax muttered and lifted his hand above his head for a moment. Barret turned away when Cloud glanced at the Soldier. When their eye contact broke it seemed as if the tension in the room had, if not disappeared completely, at least lowered to a tolerable level.

"Um..." Cait Sith lifted a paw, "I used to work at the Saucer. I can get you guys to Dio."

Barret seemed against it, but the cat was insistent. "Come on, I can actually help you here!"

"...Fine!" The gun-armed man agreed finally.

"That's five already. So, off to the Gold Saucer?" Cid said, getting up, more than relieved that it was over.

"Wait. I'll come too," Aeris said just as everyone was getting up and ready to leave or to see their friends off.

Barret and Cid glanced at each other and the pilot shrugged. "Are you sure?" the gun-armed man asked, and the flower girl nodded.

"Yes. The Keystone, and especially the Black Materia should not be left in the wrong hands, not even for a short time. I... we'd feel better once it was in our care once again. The sooner the better."

"Fine by me," Cid said and shrugged again, already walking towards the door. "I'll get the Bronco ready, you guys get what you need and meet me down in the valley. Time of departure; as soon as possible."

"The rest of you..." Barret said to the remaining members of Avalanche, "stay here an' keep an eye on things. We'll be back soon." Tifa and Nanaki nodded. Yuffie seemed annoyed at being left behind like this, but flying in that small plane didn't sound too inviting either.

"And you..." Barret nailed his eyes on Cait Sith, and the little cat froze as in fear. The large man walked slowly to the robot, looking like he was ready to slam the thing into pieces. He lifted his human hand to point at the cat, which would have sweated if it hadn't been just a toy. "Before we leave... you tell my girl that daddy loves her very much and misses her."

With that, he left.

* * *

Rufus sat on a chair, concentrating on the TV screen that showed him Reeve's office and a few of the numerous screens there. The bugs around the office carried sound clearly to their ears, and recorded it for possible later use. Elena and Reno stood behind their President, also following the conversation happening half a world from here.

Eventually the conversation ended, and Rufus leaned back in the chair, letting out the air from his lungs, not daring to even breathe loudly in case he missed something. "So... Sephiroth wants this 'Black Materia'... and these people are going to keep it from him. I think not. If this Materia really is so powerful, I think that WE should have it. If we don't... well, like they said, it can be used against us." He turned the chair around and smiled at the two Turks. Elena answered his smile and stood just a bit straighter, and Reno smirked, standing less straight, if that was possible.

Rufus stood up and placed one hand on Elena's shoulder and the other on Reno's. "You have done well. This is a big step for us. Another one is when Reeve next reports to us. We'll see how far we can trust him. You may expect large bonuses for this. But for now..." The Turks stepped back to allow their President to step away from the computer. The blond frowned and took a few steps around the room, clearly deep in thought. "For now, we need to make sure that the Black Materia falls in our hands. Not Sephiroth's, not theirs. Yes. I've made up my mind." Rufus stopped and turned to them, giving the duo a brilliant smile which immediately made the hairs at the back of Reno's neck stand up.

"You two will leave immediately for the Gold Saucer. You will get the Keystone from this Dio character, go to the Temple, and bring the Materia here."

Reno's face fell and Elena's smile froze on her face, but in a second they had both regained their composures and appeared calm. Reno's mind came up with sensible objections first.

"But our duties here, sir? Protecting you? Keeping up the peace and all?"

Somehow he managed to keep the desperation from his voice. Rufus just shook his head.

"Nonsense. Rude will be here with me, as are all the guards and a lot of Soldiers. This is the most protected place in all the world! You'll only be gone for a few days, I think we can manage. Now. Make the necessary arrangements. You can take one of the smaller jets, you should be there in time. One of you can fly it, I presume?"

Reno was still speechless but Elena nodded. Some small part of the redhead cursed the blonde woman, and the President as well, as Elena pulled him out of the office and towards the plane hangars. Sooner than his brain could react, they were in a new, expensive and fast (and very, very small, his brain noted, there was barely anything between them and the fucking sky!) plane, and when he finally started to object, they were out of Midgar.

* * *

The Tiny Bronco rose swiftly from the valley, circled Cosmo Canyon once and headed northeast. The members of the Avalanche who had stayed behind, Aeris' parents, and Elder Bugenhagen stood outside next to the Candle and watched until the plane was out of sight.

* * *

("...I mean... I can't OWN you. No one can. You are you, you belong to yourself, no matter what others say.")

It had been a smart thing to say. Not perhaps well put, but he had gotten his point across. In his... in his self-pity, loath to admit it even to himself, he had not realized it until he had said it to someone else.

("...other than that, you still have your own free will. Your own emotions, your own body. Your own existence. Because of what Hojo did to you, you have to do some things. But other than that, you are yourself. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?")

Hojo had originally shaped him as well, but lately it had been her, Jenova, who had turned him into this pitiful creature. This wasn't living anymore.

He had no mind of his own. He didn't dare to disagree or disobey her. He felt that his moods, as well as his whole being, were in constant turmoil. At one moment he wanted nothing less that the destruction of the whole world. The next minute he just wanted to sink into death's arms and sleep away. Anything would be better than this existence.

If he had managed to say it to Cloud so well that the clone had gotten strength enough to gather itself together, then why had he himself forgotten all that he had once so strongly believed in?

("But you still have to stop lying to yourself...")

No one owned him either. He owed nothing to Hojo, who had only hurt him. The scientist would argue that he'd given his finest specimen strength and all the things that had made him what he was today, but if that was all the old man had to offer, then Sephiroth could very well live without it, thank you very much.

He still had his own body, which was far more that Jenova had. She could argue that she had given him all his powers that raised him above the pitiful humans, but as far as Sephiroth was concerned, she could keep them.

He still had his own free will, and even though he wasn't using it much right now, it was his right. And his will was that he'd had enough of this. Enough of Hojo's and Jenova's madness. He wanted out. He wanted to live, to be free. To just... exist. This was a prison. And he wouldn't lie to himself anymore.

Sephiroth made up his mind and stood. He had retreated to his small alcove after she had scolded him the last time. Pretending to sleep or meditate, she had left him alone for a surprisingly long time. Enough to make him think things through and to wonder what he really wanted. What did everyone want, in the end? He supposed that it was a human thing to want acceptance and peace, maybe a little love. So maybe he was human enough. Even if he'd come to the conclusion that there was nothing human in his genotype, did it matter? Couldn't he be what he wanted to be? If even the clone, a thing built in an underground laboratory, could live and be free after doing a few simple things, why couldn't he?

/Son? Come to me. The wheels of destiny are turning. The Black Materia shall soon be ours.../

With a sigh Sephiroth stood and stepped out to the larger part of their 'home'. He stopped when he saw Jenova, on the pedestal across the hall, staring into nothingness.

The easy part had been realizing what he wanted. But how could he ever make her understand?

* * *

"CID! SLOW DOWN!" "Elena! Do we have to go so goddamn fast?!"  
"Shaddup!" "We have to get there before the Avalanche!"  
"CAN'T WE GO SLOWER?!" "Like that's possible..."  
"NO!" "Your pessimism certainly isn't helping."  
"Zax... I feel sick..." "...Women..."  
"Breath deep, Cloud..." "And put out that cigarette!"  
"If he barfs, I'm outta here!" "...Damn it."  
"Nearly there, just sit tight!" "Not too long now. Take a nap or something."  
"...Like we have a choice..." "..."  
"...u...ungh..." "..."  
"Oh SHIT!" "..."  
"Stick his 'ead over the side!" "..."  
"No! I'M FINE!" "..."  
"CID! CAN WE GO ANY FASTER?!" "...Are we there yet?"

* * *

Sephiroth walked to Jenova's side, wondering if he should share with her what he had just thought. But he didn't have the courage. The pain from her last punishment was still fresh in his mind, and he didn't dare to anger her again just yet. She seemed happy now, eager and impatient.

/I can feel something is happening. Have you managed to reach the puppet yet?/

He swallowed with dread and shook his head. "Not yet. He seems to have blocked me out. But the last time I tried, I did get a feel of him."

Her attention turned completely to him now, and she didn't seem that happy anymore.

/Have you reached him or not?/

"I... I can tell where he is, or what he's doing, yes, but I cannot reach his mind." Sephiroth felt the urge to start running, but getting away from Jenova didn't keep her from punishing him. She could reach him anywhere. He wished he'd know just how Cloud had blocked him out, as maybe it would work with her as well. No matter how high he lifted his mental walls, she always  
found a way around them.

/Can you control him?/

"I don't know. He is working to get to the Temple, I am sure of that. As long as he obeys, I don't see the need to command him further. He might start to rebel against us."

/He is our puppet. OURS. He wouldn't dare to disobey./

"Yes, mother. But Hojo created him, and he has yet to create anything that works perfectly." Sephiroth could feel her confusion, even though it lasted only a second or two. She probed at his mind, surprisingly gently.

/You do not think YOU work perfectly, son?/

"I can only try, mother..." he muttered and changed the subject. "Right now, I can feel that the puppet has the Keystone."

/Ah! Good./ She wasn't interested in him anymore, and Sephiroth felt relieved. He concentrated on following the thin thread that still linked Cloud to him. From time to time he managed to catch a glimpse of what the clone saw or heard, and that added to the emotions and thoughts that flowed through the tentative link managed to give him a pretty good idea of what was going on.

* * *

Cid swore like he hadn't sworn in a long time. They had managed to land outside North Corel without problems, everyone still in one piece and his baby 100 percent vomit-free. But apparently that had been only the start of their fun.

The people of North Corel still hadn't been too happy to see Barret, but they had managed to get to the tram without much trouble. The driver had been on his lunch break just then, for what seemed like three hours. When the cable car had finally gotten to their end of the line, the townspeople had had fun by throwing insults and even some rocks at their little group, and Zax had almost had to sit on Cloud so that the already nervous and agitated blond wouldn't go and shorten the townspeople with his sword. But finally they had managed to get to the damned Gold Saucer.

The man Dio indeed had the Keystone, but he hadn't been too keen on parting with it. Someone had to fight for it. Not against the man, oh no, wouldn't want to ruin his tan or tear his speedos. No no. Someone had to go into the battle arena itself and fight whatever random monsters the supervisors sent in. Eventually they had chosen Cloud, even though Zax and Aeris had been against it. The short blond seemed to be packing enough anger and frustration at the moment to take down the whole city, and Cid and Barret had thought it better for him to take it out on monsters than people.

Watching the fights from above, Cid had made a mental note never to piss the blond off. But Dio was properly impressed and gave them the Keystone, promising Cloud good money if he ever needed a job. The blond was too tired to answer, he'd just taken the rock and left. Cid and the others had followed at a short distance. The pilot and Barret had wondered earlier if the blond was about to split with the Keystone, but they never got far enough to find out. For on their way back towards the tram, they bumped into some old friends. If a friend was someone you'd like to see lying dead at the bottom of a deep gorge.

They had gotten out of the Battle Arena, and almost to the bottom of the stairs to the plateau which lead to every part of the amusement park, when the Turks had appeared. And now Reno threatened them with electricity sparkling at the end of his rod while Elena held out her hand.

"... There's six of us and two of you. What are you, stupid?" Cid finally growled when he ran out of words. Barret had his gun ready, Zax's hand was at the hilt of his sword, Cait's mog had raised its fists and even Aeris held her staff threateningly. Cloud glared at the Turks impatiently, holding the white Keystone with both hands.

Elena shrugged, and with a small smile brought out her PHS. It was on, and through the crackling and static of the line they could hear voices.

"... Talk to daddy, kid."

"Papa? Is it you? When are you coming back, Papa?"

Barret started to shake with rage when she closed the device. He opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out.

"You give us trouble, the kid gets it," Elena said, slipping the PHS into her pocket.

"You bastards..." Zax growled, pulling his Buster-sword out in one quick, fluid move. Some of the passing patrons noticed the weapon but paid them little heed, probably thinking that it was all a part of a show. "Reno, stop this while you still can."

"Sorry, Zax, but the time for stoppin' is way past. We can only move on and see what happens. So why don't you give us the Keystone, and the girl and the lady will wake up tomorrow..." the redhead said quietly, smiling all the while, his piercing eyes on the Soldier. Elena thrust out her hand again.

"... Do it, Cloud! Give it to them!" Aeris suddenly shouted, almost at the verge of tears.

"Shut up, woman!" Cid turned to her but lost his anger at the sight of her hopeless expression. Aeris started to tug at Barret's hand.

"Let them have it. Better them than Sephiroth." She stood on her toes to whisper quickly into his ear. "They won't have the power to use the Materia."

Barret lifted his human hand to his eyes for a moment before nodding. "Ok. Give it to them, kid."

Cloud looked ready to run but turned to stare at him incredulously. "What?"

"GIVE IT!" Barret roared to his face. Zax twitched, fearing Cloud's reaction, but the blond went expressionless and straightened his back. Turning back to the Turks, he carelessly tossed it towards Reno. The redhead almost missed the catch but managed to grab the stone, momentarily mesmerized by its colour and power. But a moment was all Cloud needed.

Zax had moved to put a hand on the blond's shoulder, but as soon as Reno caught the Keystone Cloud's hand came up in a fist and punched the Soldier in the face, pushing him back. The rest of his body jumped forward at the same heartbeat, towards Reno who looked up in time to see the face of the same monster who had murdered Tseng. Fear and panic washed through him and he reflexively lifted both hands to cover his face and throat, thus dropping the Keystone and his weapon. Cloud grabbed the stone before it hit the ground and was running before Reno fell and Elena had her gun out.

Zax found himself sitting down, his nose feeling odd and mushy. When he could see clearly again Cloud was running out towards the main entrance, Aeris and Cid hot in pursuit. Elena was threatening him, Barret and Cait Sith with her gun and Reno was getting back to his feet, shaking visibly.

"No more stupid moves! We still have your daughter, Wallace! Reno! After them!"

The redhead wisely ignored that a rookie was ordering him around and started to run, only remembering later on who he was chasing. But the Turks could know no fear, so he ran on, seeing a flash of pink or the pilot's spear every now and then. They were heading out of the amusement park itself, past the tram and towards the plane decks where the rich could land their private jets and conveniently avoid seeing the poverty of North Corel. Oh shit, they were going to get away if he didn't hurry!

He ran even faster, elbowing people right and left. Good thing that the pilot and the girl had already opened something of a path for him to follow. The blond was nowhere in sight, but he supposed that the others knew where he was going. Damn it, he wouldn't fuck this up! He'd get the Keystone and blast the blond's brains out, get even for what he'd done to Tseng and for all the sleepless nights in the past five years when it all came back and--

"Oh fuck!" was all Reno could yelp when Cid, now not too far ahead of him, tripped and crashed to the floor, swearing. The spear went flying and neatly caught the Turk's legs, and he fell on top of the panting man.

* * *

"Get in! You're not getting away now so don't make any stupid moves!" Elena ordered, threatening the three with her gun. They obeyed quietly, even though they clearly saw her hand shaking with nervousness, and stepped into the elevator. She pushed a button up, all the while keeping her gun and eyes on them.

They had followed the others out to the entrance area, but taken a turn left from the door, towards the elevators used by the patrons who didn't arrive with the tram.

The modern elevator moved quickly through floors, all the way up. Zax frowned when he realized where they were going. The plane decks. He'd come in through them a few times, on official business. Of course, after the official business had been taken care of, they'd had more than their share of fun. But this wasn't good. This meant that the Turks had a plane up there, and there wouldn't be many places to run to. And he didn't even know if he'd dare to try to escape. The blonde Turk seemed agitated enough to cause harm to the hostages if one of them made a wrong move. The gun-armed man would do nothing to hurt his little girl, or forgive anyone who had caused her harm.

* * *

Climbing up stairs that easily rivaled those of the Shin-Ra HQ, Aeris dared a look back when she hadn't seen anyone else besides Cloud for a while. She had thought that Cid was right behind her, but the stairwell was empty. She wanted to turn back but realized that if Cid wasn't there, she was the only one who had a chance to catch Cloud right now. She had no idea what would be at the end of the stairs, but judging from how long they'd climbed so far it would be somewhere very high.

She was out of breath and feeling almost giddy already, her legs aching from the climbing, but she couldn't see Cloud anymore so she forced herself to go faster. Another step, and another, and another and another and then she almost bumped into Cloud who was standing on the very last stair, struggling with a door. Aeris grabbed the back of his shirt just as he got the door open, and barely managed to catch her breath when she was already pulled out.

"Cloud, stop! Where... where are we...?" She still held on but didn't see where the blond was pulling her. Their surroundings enchanted her completely.

They seemed to be at the very top of the amusement center, at a platform filled with small and not so small airplanes. Above them was only the sky. Night was falling fast, only a small stretch of orange lit up the western horizon. The sky was dark blue, and the stars... the stars were shining so bright, the almost full moon rising among them. The air was chill and fresh: gone was the stench of so many people in such a small place, the heat, the pushing and shoving... it was all so beautiful and peaceful she almost forgot everything else.

Until Cloud stopped again. She stopped just before bumping into him, and turned to see what he was doing.

"Oh no. Cloud, please! Do you even know how to FLY that?"

* * *

"...you son of a... bloated goat! Get OFF OF ME!" Cid roared, spitting out dirt. Oh yes, people, walk on, stare and point, but don't help, oh no!

"I would if you'd stop HITTING ME!" Reno screamed back. Both were trying to get up before the other, which ended up in a wrestling match.

"I don't have the time for this!"

"Me neither!"

Cid stopped struggling and Reno followed suit a moment later. The onlookers leaned closer to hear better.

"Ok, Turk. We get up like civilized people, get our weapons, and leg it. Fine?"

"Sounds cool." Reno nodded and they picked themselves up without problems.

The Turk grabbed his lightning rod and the pilot took his spear back from a nosy kid, and turned it just in time to block the rod.

"Damn!"

"You think I'm stupid? Ha!"

And then they ran.

* * *

It seemed to take forever but finally the elevator slowed and stopped. The door slid open and a gust of cold wind entered, flying around them. Elena shoved them out and towards the far end of the deck. Zax looked around, trying to figure out if there was any possible way to get out of this.

Across the deck was a small hut, the way back down through the stairs. He could try to reach it, but the Turk would probably shoot him unless he could hide behind one of the planes.

"Move it, Soldier!" Elena ordered and Zax turned back to her. They had stopped in front of a quite new jet with the Shin-Ra Power Company logo on each wing.

"She's pretty. Too bad you had to spoil her with those..."

"Shut up!" Elena opened the cockpit and motioned for Barret to get in. The gun-armed man obeyed without objections. "You do anything stupid while my back is turned and I'll shoot him!" She lifted her gun to Barret's head to make sure they understood each other. Zax nodded morosely and watched her get half in to cuff Avalanche's leader to the inner wall of the jet. She was just stepping back out, grabbing Cait by the red cape when they heard a noise from the other end of the deck, near the stairs.

* * *

Aeris started to believe Cloud either didn't hear her or completely ignored her presence. The blond seemed to be working like someone or something was controlling him.

"Oh no... Cloud! Don't!" She'd tried to stop him when the blond had started to climb into one of the small planes, but he had almost unconsciously shaken her off. The owner had left the cockpit a bit open, and Cloud had jumped in and was hotwiring the engine quickly but with apparent experience. Aeris climbed in as well, hoping to stop him before it was too late. But then the engine started, the cockpit closed and locked, and the whole plane shook a little.

"No! Stop, Cloud! Please!" Aeris screamed, tugging at his hair, hitting him and the windows. "Let me out! Cloud!"

But the blond didn't listen. In stead he steered the moving plane to the runway that ran across the whole deck.

* * *

Zax felt his heart miss a beat or six when he saw Cloud and Aeris in the moving plane's cockpit. She seemed desperate to get out, and when she saw him, she started to wave and scream, although there was no way he could hear her.

"Stop!" Elena shouted but Zax didn't know if it was aimed at him or at the plane. He was running now, even though he realized there was little he could do against a moving plane that was coming towards him faster and faster.

"Stop or I'll shoot!"

"Stop!" Now even Barret was telling him to stop. But he had to try. Damn it Cloud couldn't possibly fly a -- oh yes he could. Zax almost stopped to kick himself. The clone had received some of his memories, and he could clearly remember the day when no one else but Reno had taught him to break into most of the modern plane types and to fly away with them.

Even above the noise of the engines he heard the gun go off, and soon felt a pain in his lower back, just next to his spine. His legs gave out quickly and Zax collapsed on the runway as the world went black.

* * *

Reno reached the door maybe two seconds before Cid. They had fought their way up, literally. Cid had done his best to trip the Turk with his spear or punch him with its butt, and Reno had used every opportunity to try and smack the pilot with his electric rod. But once they reached the door they both behaved until Reno got the door open. Then Cid smashed his boot on the Turk's expensive yet dirty designer shoe and whacked him in the neck before jumping out to the deck. Reno groaned and flipped his rod up, catching the pilot at the back of his left knee. Cid screamed and jumped, but luckily the thick material of his pants took most of the shock. Still, they were now both limping towards the other end where they could see Elena standing by a plane. She was screaming something but they couldn't hear, for a plane had just taken off and the noise almost deafened them.

Cid swore when he saw Zax lying face down on the ground. He couldn't see the others anywhere until they got closer to Elena, who was aiming her gun at Barret who was sitting in the plane next to her. Now it was quiet enough that they heard her words.

"--more step and he gets it! Reno, come here, we have to catch them!"

Cid stopped and even lifted his hands up, swearing even more. Zax was still a few dozen feet from him, and he couldn't even move to help the Soldier for fear of the Turk shooting Barret.

Reno reached his partner quickly and after a quick conversation they both hopped into the plane and took off, Barret still with them. Cid covered his head and ran behind a plane until the runway was free again. Then, fearing the worst, he hurried to the fallen Soldier.

To say that this whole thing had been one massive cock-up was the understatement of the year.

* * *

Back at the Northern Crater, Sephiroth started to wonder if he'd have to rethink his opinion on Hojo and the man's creations. He had managed to keep in touch with the puppet's mind and tag along for the ride, relaying the images to Jenova. He almost had to admire the clone's quickness, both of body and mind. It had been amusing to watch the Turk's scared face when Cloud had jumped at him, and interesting to see just what the puppet had in mind. He didn't know if it was Hojo, Zackery or Cloud himself who was responsible, but the clone managed to surprise him again and again during its short escape with the Keystone. Jenova was thrilled that the Cetra girl happened to be the one who caught him first, and ended up leaving for the Temple with him.

/She will be of much help in getting the Black Materia! And those foolish friends of theirs are nowhere close to make a mess of things this time! Get ready, my son; as soon as they have the Materia, you must go and take it for us! I do not trust the clone long with it.../

"Yes, mother..." Sephiroth muttered, watching as the stolen plane turned to the runway. His heart skipped a beat when, from the corner of the puppet's eye, he saw Zackery. It was just a quick glimpse, Sephiroth couldn't say for sure if he'd seen correctly, but it looked like the Soldier was

falling down

limp

hurt...

dead?

If... if Zackery was dead... gone... what, or who, was left for him? It hit him like a brick to the face. He was all alone. Jenova didn't care for him, she cared for her revenge. Hojo was more important to her than he was. All he was was a puppet, and a misbehaving one, too. She had made it clear that she wasn't pleased with how he had acted recently. She was only nice to him when she needed something from him.

"Mother."

The bluish head on the stone pedestal didn't move, but Sephiroth felt her move her attention to him. She was in a good mood now, but feeling her being wander all around his mind again made him feel nervous, and less prepared to say what he wanted to say.

"There's... I've been thinking."

/What is it, my son?/

Sephiroth swallowed and looked away from her. But Jenova would have none of that, and forced him to look back at her. At her empty, dead eyes which still held such power in them. The ex-General felt his resolve slipping but shook his head sharply.

"I've... thought a lot, mother. Jenova. And... this... this life..." he lifted his arms a bit to gesture at everything around him, "...it's not what I want." He could feel her anger flaring up but continued on. "You have taught me things that I would never even have heard of otherwise, and I respect your hunger and belief in what you fight for... but I feel that this is not my battle anymore. This is not what I want."

Her rage was like a furnace now, hot and burning where it slipped past his mental walls. But he had been a General, he had had to learn to be ready for anything. He lifted his walls higher, concentrated on imagining a fortress around his thoughts, his mind, a fortress that was completely sealed from the outside world. Like he had been all those years ago.

Jenova's rage grew again, but she sounded amused when she spoke outside his walls. /My. You have been working. But it breaks a mother's heart to see that the only thing her only son could better himself for is to go against her./ She tried to push through but Sephiroth blocked her. He couldn't go on like this for long. She could.

Sephiroth had been a fortress once, out of reach of everything. But he had conveniently forgotten that someone had broken through his high walls even then. Zackery had made it, with kindness, curiosity and a lot of good humour. And now the Soldier had left him. Like Tseng. But this hurt far more, even though he couldn't tell for sure if the Soldier was really dead. But just the possibility was too much to bear.

Jenova was breaching through, but her weapons were not as kind as Zackery's had been. The silver-haired man cringed as it became harder and harder to block her out. It had been too long since he'd been a General. Having Jenova think his moves for him, tell him what to think and what to do, destroying what little faith he had had in himself had weakened him, in both body and spirit. Still he had dared to hope. And look where it had gotten him now...

"...No..." Sephiroth gathered all of his mental strength to one last, feeble attempt. Jenova was laughing now, somewhere, pushing through his walls to make him surrender completely to her.

/I see that it was a mistake to let you keep your freedom, son. But not a mistake that can't be fixed. Now stop fighting me before I lose my patience with you!/

"...NO!" Sephiroth screamed, his voice high and broken. She was pushing through to his mind, tearing the walls down. It hurt so much, in his mind and his body. He fought to stay standing, to get a chance for one more attack, one more second, one more chance...

/GIVE UP!/

His hands worked instinctively when they reached for the hilt of the Masamune. The weapon, always at his side, slid out of its scabbard with a low, hissing sound, so quickly it seemed to just materialize in his hand. She was slowly destroying his mind, but his body still fought on.

"NO!" he screamed one more time, making her hesitate for a moment. He used the small break from pain to run closer and lift the Masamune.

Jenova attacked his mind harder than before, but the long sword was only inches away from her head and falling fast.

-

* * *

A.N: I'm holding the rest of the story hostage. If you want to read more, leave a review at the bottom left corner of the screen, and whatever you do, don't call the police, or Windows gets it!! ...actually, it might get 'it' in any case...

Sorry for the delay! Almost done graduating, moved halfway across the country, not much computertime... excuses, excuses. I'm gonna be away from computers for all of June. I'll try to update a chapter before that, and then pick the story up in July. Should have more time to write then...

Answers to questions! Jpopslover (mmm I prefer Jrock myself... :D) asked about Cloud... I suppose the clone is about 19, 20... maybe a bit shorter than in the game, and skinny. And as for Tifa & Cloud, she does recognize him, but hasn't had the chance (or the courage, since he was supposed to have died) to go and talk with him. I intend to make them talk, now that Cloud's 'up' and relatively sane. :) And thank you for the compliments!

If there's anything that doesn't seem to make sense, or just out of curiosity, ask away, as I'm likely to miss something. :)


	32. 2, Chapter Fourteen

All I got to say... Go Barret! –laughs- I don't own him, anyone else or any place or any monster yadda yadda yadda. Square does. All hail Square! Beware the swearing, panicky silliness and bad English, as this's unbetaed for now. Please enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter fourteen: Catch me if you can!**

-

The noise of the Turks' plane above them almost deafened him, but Cid ran to the fallen Soldier, ignoring the pain at the back of his knee where Reno's lightning rod had caught him. The Turks were gone and they had at least Barret with them. He didn't know what had happened to Aeris, Cloud or Cait, no idea where the three had disappeared to.

The Turks already had a good head start, and by the time he'd get to the Tiny Bronco there'd be no way to catch them. But first he'd have to check if the idiot Soldier was even alive anymore.

"Zax? Hey wake up you dolt!" he fell to his knees and shook the younger man roughly, hoping that no one was near enough to hear the worry in his voice.

"Cid?"

The pilot instinctively went for his spear even though he recognized the voice. He turned to where the Turks' plane had been to see Cait peek out from behind another plane. The robot jumped out and hopped to them in its usual way.

"Gosh, is he still alive?" the small cat asked, hopping off the mog and next to Zax's face. "He seems to be breathing..."

"Zax?" Cid called again, eyes roaming over the body to spot any injuries. But he couldn't find anything. Not even a drop of blood on the runway. "Zax? What the hell? Did you decide to take a nap or something?" Cid rolled the Soldier to his back and he and Cait leaned closer.

Zax's eyes were closed and the man didn't seem to be in pain. There was no injury that they could see, only where the Soldier's forehead and bare arms had made contact with the runway, and even those were already healing out of sight. Cid felt his left eye start to twitch. With a groan he sat heavily on the ground and pulled out a cigarette and his lighter. As soon as he got the nicotine stick started he took a long breath through it and then pressed the burning end to Zax's shoulder.

* * *

"I can't BELIEVE she had tranquilizers in that gun ALL of the time!" Zax growled. He, Cid and Cait were in the tram, waiting for it to reach North Corel and the Tiny Bronco. The pilot was sitting on one of the seats, staring out of the window, rubbing the bruise on his arm he'd gotten while waking the Soldier. Cait was on the floor next to the bench. Zax was walking around like a caged animal, eager to get out. They had filled each other in on what had happened, and now were a bit at a loss on what to do.

Cloud and Aeris were in a stolen plane, going to the Temple of the Ancient. Only they and Ifalna knew its location. The Turks had Barret and they were either chasing the Keystone or heading to Midgar. In either case, both planes would be far from here by the time they'd get the Bronco off the ground. From the plane they could attempt to contact Cosmo Canyon or their friend's plane by radio and try to find out where the temple was.

"If I'd known, we could have gotten rid of her once Cloud left with the Keystone. We could have caught him, dealt with Reno and be on our way, all of us, together. Damn it! You can't shoot tranqs from a normal gun, I should have seen the difference! God I'm so STUPID!"

"Calm down, numbskull..." Cid muttered when the Soldier started to scare the other passengers with his ranting. Zax growled and came to sit on a bench opposite the pilot.

"This is just so frustrating! We have no idea where they're going!"

Cait lifted its paw and opened its mouth but the Soldier just glared at it and the little cat fell silent.

Cid shook his head and sighed. "Look, as soon as we get to the Bronco, I'll pick up the radio. If we can't reach them, we can check with air control and other planes if anyone's seen them. Plus, we can contact Cosmo Canyon and check with the Cetra lady if she'd like to tell us where the hell the Temple is. Okay? Now we'll be there in five minutes, so don't freak out just yet. Enjoy the peace while it lasts, kiddo." He leaned back and closed his eyes, ignoring Zax who was fuming with barely controlled rage, but couldn't find anything to argue about.

With a frustrated groan, the Soldier leaned his forehead against the cool window and prayed they wouldn't be too late.

* * *

Aeris finally dared to open her eyes when she felt that the plane was flying straight, not twisting and turning and losing altitude as much as before. The last thing she'd seen was Zax falling to the ground, shot down by that Turk. She was still praying for his safety, and her own as well.

Her fumbling hands found the seatbelt and fastened it around her waist before she dared to reach out and tug at Cloud's hair. The blond didn't react to her touch, so she leaned forward enough that she could see the side of his face over the back of the seat.

"Cloud? Can you hear me?"

There was no reaction to her words that she could see, but the blond seemed to be in control of the plane now. In fact, he appeared to be quite good at flying it, which was a surprise, considering how sick he had been on the trip to the Gold Saucer. "You're just full of surprises, aren't you..."

Aeris leaned back in her seat and looked around for anything that could be of use. She'd lost her staff somewhere in the Gold Saucer while chasing Cloud.

It was night already, the only light came from the stars and the moon above them, giving everything an eerie glow. The plane's cockpit was small, there was just enough space for the two seats, hers behind the pilot's. The part-glass ceiling which opened to be the only way out of the machine was less than a foot above her head, and the walls were only half a foot from the seat's sides. Aeris shuddered and tried to ignore the smallness of the space which only seemed smaller when the plane shook a little on the air current.

There weren't any weapons in the small space around her, but she did find a parachute underneath the seat. Pulling at the handle on the other chair's back revealed a very small mini-bar, but the bottles were all empty.

If she could just find a way to contact the others...

Aeris opened the seatbelt and stood up, leaning over the seat and Cloud's shoulder. The blond didn't even notice when she squeezed herself between the seat and the wall to reach for the radio close to Cloud's right hand. Holding her breath, she stretched as far as she could, but the device was just out of her reach, no more than two inches from her fingertips.

"...Damn it!" Aeris swore, daring to breathe again. She struggled to get closer to the radio, her eyes fixed on it, when she felt something move against her breasts. She froze instantly for a second before daring to turn to look.

"Um... what are you doing?" Cloud asked, puzzled and blushed, his nose and face still turned towards and against her. Aeris let out a small sound of surprise and struggled back towards her own seat until they were face to face.

"Cloud! Are you all right?"

"...I think so. Where's Zax? Where are we?" He finally tore his eyes away from her and turned just in time to see a mountain peak disappear underneath them. His face went from blushed to white to a shade of green in a matter of heartbeats, and Aeris thought she could hear his stomach lurch.

"Calm down, you've flown it perfectly so far!" She assured him, trying not to let her rising panic reach her voice. Either it wasn't working or then Cloud wasn't listening. He lifted a shaking hand to his mouth and stared ahead, eyes wide.

"Shiva's... oh no... please... stop this... I want out..."

Aeris slapped him on the cheek.

"Stop it Cloud! There's no time to panic now! Once we land, then we can panic, all right? Now, just... go back to flying this thing? Please?" It certainly wasn't her best 'calm down'-speech, but this was the first time she had to give one 20 000 feet in the air.

"How the hell do I fly this thing?!" Cloud screamed at her, not completely assured by her words.

Aeris tried to stay calm, but made a mental note to check again if the mini-bar was completely empty. "You mean... you don't know how? But you flew it this far!"

"I've never flown a plane before! I've only been in one twice, and on the first time it crashed down!" His voice was much higher than usual and they were both starting to panic now.

"But I saw you myself! I followed you, you jumped into this plane and took off!"

"I didn't! I don't remember any of that!" Cloud almost shrieked before closing his eyes tightly. She stared at him for a moment before realizing that he was telling the truth.

She couldn't fly either. They were still far above the ground.

"What do we do, what do we do..." Aeris muttered and started to pull herself back to her seat when she remembered why she was stuck between the seat and the wall in the first place. "The radio!"

Cloud opened one eye and turned to her very carefully, like he was fearing the plane might fall if he made a sudden move. "What?"

"The radio!" She pointed at the device. "Switch it on! We can call for help, or someone can guide us, tell us what to do!"

Cloud reached out slowly and switched the device on. It immediately started to buzz. Aeris reached for it again and motioned for him to pass the mouthpiece to her. She shook it experimentally and pressed the button on the side.

"Hello? Can anyone hear me?"

* * *

Reno stopped playing with his lighter when the static of the radio suddenly disappeared and they heard a voice. Their prisoner froze in the backseat and Elena glanced at the radio quickly.

"Wasn't that the pink chick? And on a public channel?" Reno muttered and reached up to the ceiling where their radio was, turning the volume up. Wallace had already answered that question, and if possible, went even stiller when the voice spoke again.

"Please, someone! We need help!"

"Should we answer her?" Elena asked, eyes fixed on the horizon and the twinkling light ahead of them which was the plane they followed. "I mean, they have the Keystone. If they crash, how'll we get it?"

"We wait until the fire dies and dig it out. It's a rock, it won't burn." Reno answered and grinned when their prisoner swore colourfully.

The Turk pulled out his lightning rod and waved it in the backseat's direction. "Watch it, Wallace, you don't want me pokin' you with this!"

"Please! Can anyone hear me?!" She sounded desperate now, and they could hear another voice muttering quietly somewhere near her.

"What the hell are they doing? Their plane seems to be flying well, why are they asking for help?" Elena wondered. Reno chuckled.

"Maybe there's..." he made a scared face, "...something on the wing!"

"Shut up, Reno..." the blonde Turk muttered when the redhead started to laugh.

"Anyone? Please?"

"We could offer them help in exchange for the Keystone..." Elena suggested but fell quiet when a voice answered the plea.

"Aeris? Is that you? Where the fuckin' hell are you?!"

"... Highwind..." Reno muttered dryly and cocked his head, listening. Barret also leaned closer, tugging at the cuffs.

* * *

"Was that Aeris? Is Cloud with her? Where are they?!" Zax shouted and jumped into the small plane. They were just outside North Corel, still on the ground. Cid waved him quiet and listened to the radio transmitter.

"Cid! Thank the summons... we need help!"

The pilot swore and started the Tiny Bronco's engine. "Hang on, girl! Where are you?"

"I don't know! I'm in a plane with Cloud, we're going towards the Temple, but we don't know how to fly this thing!"

Cid stared at the radio's mouthpiece like it had just sprouted wings and given birth to puppies. Zax was almost jumping up and down in the backseat. Cait Sith climbed in, settling down on the seat beside the Soldier.

"Uh, run that by me again, would you? You're up inna plane, flying, and you don't fuckin' know HOW TO FLY IT?! Am I the only one seeing a bit of a conflict here?

There was a moment of silence. When Aeris spoke next, her voice was full of barely controlled anger which, coming from her, was scary.

"Yes, Cid, that's about it. But unless you can give us some advice, the 'up in a plane' -bit may change soon." There was a scared squeak to accompany her words.

"Cloud!" Zax shouted and reached for the mouthpiece, but Cid leaned away from him.

"Ok, I'll tell you what to do! But how did you get to where you're now?"

"Cloud was flying, like in a trance, but then he woke from it! Neither of us can fly this thing now!"

Cid gave the Soldier a look over his shoulder and started to turn the plane for take-off. "Ok, lemme know which direction you're headin', and we'll follow you. You know what a compass is, right? Check it and tell me the direction, and if you can read it, the numbers on it, too. Buckle up, Zax. We're leaving."

Another moment of silence, and Cloud answered them with a shaky voice. "We're heading south-east, towards the big island at the south-west end of the Midgar continent."

"Ok I know where that is. Now tell me what model the plane is, I need to get an idea of what the steering and shit looks like." The Bronco was moving now, faster and faster over the grasslands, towards the sandpit around the Gold Saucer. Zax was forced to sit down and fasten the seatbelt around his waist, although he leaned forward to hear the ongoing conversation.

"... 'what model'?! It has wings and it's very small, and I want out of it!"

"Then jump out why don't you..."

"CID!"

"Ok calm down, kiddo! There's a funky, steering-wheel thing in front of you, right? Grab it and turn it a bit to see how to handle her. Then just make sure you're flyin' straight, and lemme know when you're coming close to the island."

The Tiny Bronco took into the air, and Cid turned it towards south-east.

* * *

Reno was gasping for breath, he had laughed out loud at the conversation in the radio. He collapsed into another giggling fit when the lights of the plane they followed lurched towards the ground momentarily, and screaming filled the airwaves.

"...Fucking morons... wonder you guys haven't managed to kill yourselves yet, eh, Wallace?" Barret glared at the redhead, but Reno wasn't really paying any attention to him.

"It shouldn't be long now before they reach the island, that plane's about as fast as ours." Elena mentioned, ignoring her partner. Reno coughed and tried to regain his composure.

"So how long before Highwind gets there?"

"At least a few hours. We should have enough time to get the Keystone and get into the Temple."

"Get rid of those two..." Reno muttered, glancing at their captive from the corner of his eye. Barret glared at him but refused to be angered by the Turk's words.

"Maybe we should capture the girl alive, she's an Ancient, right? The President might find some use to her."

"I like the way you think…" Reno said with a wicked grin and leaned forward, placing his head on the back of Elena's seat, next to hers. "He might even give us a bonus for it. The freak's one of Hojo's pets... we kill it, we might get even a bigger bonus, since no one likes Hojo. And just imagine the look on the madman's face! Ha!" He pulled an innocent expression on his face, as innocent as was possible. "'I'm so sorry, Hojo, sir... the bullet kind of... slipped, and hit your specimen between the eyes. We had to burn it.'"

Elena shook her head, smiling. "He'd never believe that..."

"Yeah, well, too bad! What can he do about it? Nothing!"

"...He can talk the President into giving you for scientific research... to find out how you've survived so far without a spine..."

"Hey! Remember, I'm still your senior!" Reno managed to gather some amount of hurt into his voice, despite grinning like mad. Elena wasn't such a bad Turk... for a chick.

* * *

With Cid's help, Cloud and Aeris had become a bit more familiar with the plane's controls. The island was already starting to show on their radar, but it was too dark to see anything yet and they were currently flying inside clouds. The pilot had warned them that the Turks may be following, but their radar or a look out of the window showed nothing out of the ordinary.

Aeris had settled comfortably in her seat, the parachute on her lap making her feel a little safer. Cid had promised them a safe landing, but had advised that they wouldn't count on just that. But the parachutes wouldn't do them much good unless Cloud found whatever it was that would open the ceiling for them. The flower girl sat with her eyes closed, absently listening to Cloud describe the switches and buttons to Cid who explained (or in some cases, guessed) what they did. But right now Aeris concentrated more on what they'd find at the Temple. She had never been there, and neither had her mother, but Ifalna had told her tales of the place, and what was hidden inside it. She knew that the Black Materia was protected with traps and puzzles, and probably a good amount of monsters. Getting in and to the Materia wouldn't be easy. With just the two of them, nearly weaponless, it might be almost impossible.

Cid had promised that he'd be there in a few hours, with Zax and Cait Sith. She had been relieved to hear that the Soldier was all right. Cloud had been shocked to hear that he had been hurt in the first place, and if he wouldn't have been so afraid of the plane, he would probably have turned it around and flown to them.

She still had no idea how Cloud had been able to fly the plane. From the state he'd been in Aeris had guessed that someone had controlled him. Maybe it had been Sephiroth. But how had the trance ended so suddenly, and while they were still in the air? Maybe there was a limit on how far Sephiroth's control reached. Cloud obviously didn't have the answers, he claimed he couldn't remember flying at all, and she believed him.

It was all confusing, but unless they managed to land in one piece, it wouldn't matter at all.

"... How about a button that says 'Open'?" Cloud was just saying to the radio. Aeris smiled a bit when she could hear Cid swear.

"Damn these new models... there used to be one big red button that said 'EJECT' in big, bloody letters in the middle of the fuckin' board! Would it be too hard... yeah, that sounds like it."

"... Should I push it?"

"Hell NO! Not unless you wanna go flyin' without a plane right now, kiddo!"

Clouds cleared from around them, and the horizon could be seen, even in the dark. Cloud swallowed hard and went paler than ever. Aeris leaned forward on his left side, mesmerized by the beauty of the scenery, even though it was so far below them.

The sky was almost pitch black, dotted by the stars, but in the east the horizon was starting to pale a bit already. The clouds around them were just shapes of darkness which hid the stars. Below them opened the dark sea, ending only where it reached the horizon in utter blackness. Ahead of them was the island, the only stable thing in the moving sea. It was still some miles away, but coming closer and closer.

"That's it..." Aeris muttered and turned to Cloud who had closed his eyes. "Better tell Cid, we need to get ready to land soon."

The blond whimpered quietly but she noticed him breathe deep to get himself under control. Still, his hand shook when he reached for the radio again. Aeris turned back to the scenery, marveling at its beauty, and how deadly the nature she so loved could be if they made even one mistake.

A minute later she realized that the cockpit was still quiet, and turned to Cloud as well as she could, wedged between the wall and the front seat again. "Cloud, what... oh."

Aeris wished she'd know of some strong curse words right now, and had the gall to utter them.

Cloud sat as still as if he was a statue, staring straight ahead, the radio's mouthpiece clutched in his right hand. Fighting down the rising panic, she waved a hand in front of his eyes, getting no reaction.

"Oh. Oh. This is bad. Cloud? Cloud?! Wake up... DAMN it!" But the blond seemed dead to the world again.

"This is really, really bad..." Aeris muttered and mentally swore at the seatbelt which now stopped her from reaching the radio from this side. She struggled back to her seat, opened the seatbelt and reached out on the right side. Luckily the radio was much closer to her now, and Cloud let go of it when she tugged a bit. The movement seemed to wake something in him. The now empty hand rose with the left to clutch at the controls. The plane shook slightly but he had it under control the next second, and tipped it slightly to the left. Aeris thought best to sit down and fasten her seatbelt.

They were almost above the island already, and the plane was making slow circles in the air, descending all the while. There was no sign of civilization on it, only grass, trees and mountains. Finding the Temple started to seem harder than getting to the Materia, until the plane turned again and she spotted it, in the middle of a large forest. It was really hard to miss, actually. A huge building that towered over the treetops, as dark as the forest but distinguishable for its angular shape.

Watching the ground and sea get closer Aeris almost forgot the radio's mouthpiece was still in her hand. She brought it up to her mouth. "Cid?"

"Yeah, Buttercup?"

"Ahh, about the landing... I think we have it under control."

"What?! Whaddya mean?"

"Cloud knows how to fly again. Just hurry here, please? We'll wait for you at the Temple."

"But... hell, girl! Are you sure? Lemme talk to the nutcase!"

"Yes I'm sure. Better let him concentrate. Hurry, please?"

Aeris almost blushed at the words which filled the radiowaves and memorized a few of them for future use.

"Fine. We'll be there in a few hours. How'll we find the place?"

"You can't miss it. Thank you, Cid, we'll see again soon, then."

The ground was coming closer and closer, and Aeris prayed her trust in Cloud wasn't misplaced. But the blond really seemed to know what he was doing again. She made a mental note to talk with him about all this once they had the Black Materia in their hands and they were far from here again.

* * *

"... Never again... never again... never again... never again..." Cloud chanted, pale as sheet, and clutched his hands together to stop them from shaking. He was grateful, though, that he didn't actually have any recollection of the landing Aeris had described as 'bumpy, but impressive'.

They had made it in one piece, even the small plane. Aeris had thought to stay in the open until Cid and the others got there or the sun rose, but they had barely gotten out of the plane when they had noticed that they had been followed. And the plane clearly wasn't the Tiny Bronco. They had taken off towards the forest around the Temple, and had passed the first trees when the plane started to descend.

They ran.

The forest was thick and full of strange noises, the air hot and humid. There was no obvious way for them to determine which way they should go, but somehow Aeris just knew. The Temple sang to her. It reached out and pulled her towards it, tugging desperately. She was fearful of what they might find there, more now when she knew the Turks had followed them, but the call of the Temple raised her spirits and welcomed her. It was like coming home.

They ran through the jungle, stumbling every once in a while in the dark. But when one stumbled the other was there to catch, both determined to reach the Temple and the Black Materia before the Turks caught up with them.

* * *

"Damn it..." Reno muttered, glaring at the jungle and threatening Barret with his lightning rod while Elena tied their prisoner's hands behind his back. "Do we have to go through that?! I fuckin' hate jungles! They're too hot, full of bugs and snakes. I really hate bugs and snakes..."

"How did a crybaby like you make it into the Turks? Or d'ya all need to be able to whine like that?" Barret growled from between clenched teeth. Elena tugged the ropes tighter but the man didn't even flinch. Reno just snorted and started towards the forest.

* * *

"Are we there yet?" Zax shouted over the wind, staring desperately ahead to see anything through the clouds that surrounded them at the moment. The pilot swore, making Cait cover his ears with his paws.

"I told you five years back not to ask that bloody question ever again! We'll be there in an hour or so! No matter how many times you ask, we ain't gonna get there any faster!" Cid shouted back, even though he was as eager to get to the Temple as the Soldier.

* * *

They must have ran for almost an hour, the sun was rising already when the jungle suddenly opened in front of them, revealing the Temple of the Ancients. It stood in the middle of a clearing which reached just around its great outer wall. A trench was dug, and only a narrow bridge joined the Temple to the rest of the world.

Aeris stopped, still holding tight to Cloud's hand from when either of them had last slipped on the muddy ground. The blond, much too tired to be shocked from flying anymore, stopped as well and just stared.

"Oh... it's so... so... so much MORE than I had thought, more than I ever dreamed..." Aeris whispered, a smile flickering on her lips. She let his hand slip from hers and left Cloud behind, walking towards the building with new energy. It was reaching out to her, welcoming her but also telling her to leave.

She stepped on the wooden bridge and sunk to her knees, not caring about the Turks anymore. The spirits here, the knowledge of generations past rose to greet her. It felt so good, so right that she leaned forward and lay down on the bridge.

"... You are all waiting here... staying back... why? For the future? For us?"

Cloud frowned. He knew the girl had spoken the words quietly, whispering them to the spirits that only she could hear. But somehow he had heard her as well. It unnerved him. The clearing was so quiet after the noisy jungle, he felt like he could even hear Aeris breathing. He knew that it was the Mako in his blood which had heightened most of his senses like this. Mako and the cells from Her. He didn't want it, he didn't want anything from her or Hojo, but didn't know how to give the 'presents' back either.

There was some good in having such sharp ears, too. The redheaded Turk liked to swear loudly.

"You are happy that I am here? But uneasy too? But why?" Aeris asked. She had gotten up to her knees, and was watching the Temple. She barely realized that Cloud had caught up with her and was tugging her up.

"We have to go now. They're close." The blond muttered, pushing past her on the narrow bridge, making it swing and creak. He still held her arm and Aeris followed, listening to the spirits.

A long line of stairs lead up to the top of the Temple. It seemed like the only possible direction, but Cloud didn't know if they could get in through there. The Turks were getting closer, he could catch a swearword every now and then.

"Can you feel it, Cloud? The Temple, the spirits who've stayed back... they have so much power it leaks out! It makes me see clearer than before, hear better, and everything feels so... perfect. If there was something to eat I'm sure it would taste heavenly..." Aeris muttered as in a daze. The blond frowned and took a moment to wonder if the sharpness of his own senses was because of the Temple. But there was no time to think on that now, nor to wonder how HE had suddenly become the sane one. Zax would laugh.

"How do we get in there?" He asked, glancing over their shoulders. No one there yet, but the Turks didn't have to make a path through the jungle, all they had to do was follow in their footsteps. His hand went to the handle of his sword. He had been pleasantly surprised at the Battle Arena that he hadn't been as rusty as he had feared, after so many years of not fighting.

Cloud frowned. Had he ever fought with a sword? Not since Hojo had captured him. But he hadn't been captured, he had been born in the laboratory. No, in Gongaga...? No, Nibelheim...

"Ssssss not now... don't break... I am me..." he hissed, closed his eyes tight and slammed his fist to the side of his head. It made him see stars, but the rising panic and confusion in his head settled, just in time before the Turks stepped out to the clearing with Barret in tow. Cloud swore quietly, grabbed Aeris' hand tighter and started to run up the stairs. She followed eagerly, blind and deaf to the world.

* * *

Zax jumped out of the Tiny Bronco before it had stopped completely, and took off towards the forest and the temple that loomed over it. Cid had landed the plane closer to the jungle than the other planes, so they didn't have to cross the grasslands first, but the others were still about an hour ahead of them.

"Wait two seconds you moron!" The blond called after the Soldier. Cait Sith also jumped out, bouncing towards the jungle.

"... Screw you guys..." Cid muttered and grabbed the radio. Twenty seconds later he jumped out and started to run after them.

* * *

"Stop!" Reno shouted when they reached the clearing and saw the two running up the stairs to the top of the Temple of the Ancients. He had hoped for a chance to catch his breath but their prey seemed unwilling to give him that.

"Fuck. Well what are we waiting for, after them!"

He shouldn't have forgotten that he and Elena had tied around their waists the ends of the rope which bound Barret's hands together, to make sure he wouldn't try to escape. The two Turks took off running, but the large man didn't budge. And he had far more mass than the two of them together. And the rope was strong.

* * *

Cloud dared a look back when he heard a scream and a howl of pain. Frowning, he stopped when he saw the Turks, flat on the ground, moaning and complaining loudly. Behind them stood Barret, smirking. The gun-armed man met his eyes and nodded. The blond blinked and shook his head, turning back to see Aeris still running up the stairs. They were almost to the top.

* * *

This time Elena held her gun to Barret's neck.

* * *

Cloud glanced over his shoulder when he finally reached the top, almost bumping to Aeris who was standing and, apparently, conversing with the spirits again. The Turks had reached their side of the bridge already, although Barret was doing his best to slow them with a gun pointed at his head.

The blond turned back quickly and took in their surroundings. They were in a small room, pillars on both sides and a plateau with an altar upon it in the middle. Aeris was walking slowly towards the altar. Cloud hurried to her side and grabbed her arm.

"Aeris! Come on! How do we get in? Where's the door?"

Aeris blinked her green eyes a few times. In this place they seemed to glow like his mako-eyes. He took a step back, for there was something in the glow that frightened him, made him feel tainted and uncomfortable.

"The Keystone. Give it to me." Aeris said and held out her hand. Cloud hesitated for a moment but pulled the stone out of his pocket and dropped it in her palm. She nodded and walked to the altar, placing the white stone on it. Cloud watched curiously as a blue glow spread like water over the markings on the stone. The room around them began to fade in and out of sight, and he took her arm, feeling dread.

"Fuck! STOP!"

He didn't want to move, but turned anyway to see the Turks and Barret reach the top and rush towards them. But they were flickering as well, even as they got closer and closer. Then the floor disappeared from underneath them.

* * *

Tifa climbed the ladders and the stairs up to the observatory, silently praying to any deity willing to listen that Yuffie would find something else to do except follow her around and whine about how bored she was. She hadn't minded before that the young ninja had tagged along, she had been helpful from time to time, but right now the fighter wished she was evil enough to toss Yuffie down the main stairs to the town, or at least tell her to go away.

The observatory was some sort of a haven, though. The atmosphere there was peaceful and welcoming, but something in the place killed the urge to whine and complain about boredom from most people. Thankfully even from Yuffie. The ninja followed her in, but in stead of staying with her and Nanaki on the lowest floor, she climbed up the stairs to the higher floors. Tifa sighed with relief and sat down on a chair, smiling at the large, red beast.

"Morning, Nanaki. Any word from them?"

The last protector of the Canyon shifted his gaze and made a coughing sound. "Umm, yes..."

"... Something bad?" Tifa asked, leaning forward. Nanaki got up from his place next to the radio and shook his head, starting to walk around a bit. He had spent the night by the radio.

"No, not exactly... bad. Cid contacted us during the night and told me what happened so far." The beast stopped in the middle of the floor, the fiery tip of his tail moving nervously. "Apparently there was some trouble."

"What trouble?" Tifa asked. She had to force herself to stay in the chair and not jump up and run off to find a way to get to her friends. "Are they all right?"

"Yes, don't worry. The Turks appeared and demanded for the Keystone."

"What? how did they know about it? And how did they know to go to the Gold Saucer? Are they spying on us?!"

Nanaki started walking around again. He trusted Cait Sith and the man behind the robot. Not much, but the man seemed honest. But still, he worked for Shin-Ra, even though lately he had started to tell them of things that happened in Midgar.

Tifa's red eyes went large when she came to the same conclusion. "Cait?" At his nod, she slammed her fist to the chair's armrest, making the wood complain. "We should have known he couldn't be trusted! Why did we ever believe him..."

"I still trust him, to some extent." Nanaki said, coming to sit on the floor next to her chair. "I get a sense of him, even through the robot. He does work for Shin-Ra, but he is questioning where his loyalties should lie. He has told us what's been going on in Midgar."

Tifa looked at the red beast whom Bugenhagen had called a child but who was wiser in many ways than most of the other members of Avalanche. A smile found its way on her lips and she ruffled his dark mane playfully.

"You actually trust him? Guess he can't be all that bad, then. Reeve... well, he did promise to take good care of Marlene and Shera." With a sigh she leaned back in the chair, lifting a gloved hand to her eyes for a moment.

"This is so frustrating... I wish I could be there with them, not here, sitting around, doing nothing but babysitting Yuffie and..." she looked over her shoulder to the door which lead to the small room their 'guest' was currently occupying. She leaned closer to him, frowning. "You know, he really gives me the creeps. I really hope those demons of his stay hidden."

Nanaki smiled and winked. Having just one eye it looked a lot like a blink, but his expression assured that it was a wink. "Don't mind it, he creeps me out too. But in this case we have to trust Grandfather and Professor Gast, and I know for sure that Grandfather can be trusted."

Tifa smiled and nodded. "That's good. But tell me... what do your instincts say about Zax and Cloud?"

He thought about it for a while, his tail swinging in a slow, horizontal eight. "The Soldier is a good man, but his mind is dark. You must have noticed it when he told us of his past in Hojo's care. He's terribly afraid of something, but I don't know what."

"How can you tell?"

"I can smell it. I do trust him to do the right thing, though. But Cloud, he's harder to figure out. When I first saw him, there were so many smells around him, Mako one of the strongest. But now, just before they left, he was different. I don't know what to make of him. Valentine's the same." He settled down on the floor, resting his jaw on his huge front paws. "I guess it's that Jenova-creature I can smell on them. Hostile and alien. Hojo, too. I know the scent of his handiwork all too well."

"Did he... if you don't mind me asking, did he do something to you?"

"Experiments. I don't care to talk of it much. But mostly he was trying to figure out what I was, and what he could do with me." Nanaki closed his eye and sighed. "The memories are not nice ones. That man has brought so much pain and suffering on so many people... maybe he'll feel the repercussions of it some day."

"Yeah, and maybe it'll be us who make him feel them." Tifa tried to cheer him up, and he chuckled.

"Oh yes. Few things would please me more."

They sat in comfortable silence for some minutes, thinking about their friends and the future of the world. The peace was broken when the radio started to swear.

"-cking bloody morons... hey I hope someone hear this! We're headin' to the Temple now, no time to chat, catch you guys later!"

Both Tifa and Nanaki had gotten up and rushed to the radio, but Cid was already gone.

"Damn. I hope they're all right. Why was he in such a hurry?" Tifa muttered and returned to her seat, chewing at the tip of one of the glove's fingers thoughtfully.

"Perhaps the Turks are giving them trouble..." Nanaki muttered and was glad no one else had heard Cid's earlier recounting of the events. No need to make anyone worry more than they already did.

"Speaking of trouble, who's watching Valentine?" Tifa glanced at the closed door again.

"I am. He's sleeping most of the time."

"Do you think he can hear us talking?"

"I don't know. I could hear it if he'd walk around the room, but so far he's been quiet. The walls are thick, unless he's got a very good hearing I doubt he can hear us."

* * *

Vincent felt a little smug, listening in on the conversation. He was sitting on the floor, next to the door, where he could hear them almost perfectly. So the beast hadn't heard him walk here, even though it claimed it wouldn't have missed it. But he had to admit that he had started eavesdropping when he'd heard Highwind talking on the radio. He'd heard the whole explanation of the Turks appearing and the group getting separated, but heading to the temple anyway. It was also interesting to notice that the beast didn't tell everything to the girl, but he could follow its logic of not worrying its friends over something that they couldn't help with. It made him envious, how these people and creatures cared for each other. He envied their mutual trust even more.

He was feeling much better after sleeping most of the day. He was also starting to get used to using his left arm and hand again. His nature wouldn't let him believe that he'd been given it back because he deserved it, or that it couldn't somehow be used against him. He had no idea where the arm had come from; had Chaos grown it, or stolen it? But he still couldn't help feeling happy that he was whole again, at least in body. His mind was torn, destroyed and conquered, but he could touch his face with both hands again, reach up and tie his hair back, and move without constant pain. He couldn't possibly deserve it, and it would be taken from him, without a doubt, but for now he was whole.

His musings were interrupted when a third voice suddenly joined the conversation in the other room. Leaning closer to the door he heard the voice more clearly, but didn't recognize it. The girl, Tifa, soon identified the voice as Yuffie, though. Vincent shifted until he was comfortable and concentrated on the conversation.

"Did you spy on them?!" The girl, Tifa, sounded almost angry now. Yuffie was instantly defensive.

"NO! And keep it down, will ya? I just happened to hear them talking... I heard the name Sephiroth and figured it wouldn't hurt to listen in."

"It wasn't right to listen, but... what did they say?" Nanaki's low voice was slightly harder to hear than the high, clear voices of the females, but the ex-Turk could still make out the amusement and worry in the voice.

"Well, they were saying that even tho we'd get the Black Materia, Sephiroth will come after it, if he really wants it. An' they suspect he really wants it. So they were thinkin' how to keep it away from him. If they should destroy it or take it somewhere safe. But Aeris' mom said they couldn't just destroy it, not with any weapons we have. That only the Planet which made it could take care of it, and with the Planet pur... per... pre... busy with Jenova and Sephiroth and the mako reactors, it would take too long to destroy it and Sephiroth could steal it when it was still usable."

Vincent frowned when the girl stopped to catch her breath. He could feel his heart sinking in his chest. Because he hadn't been able to save his own son, the whole world would suffer...

"So then she started talkin' about countering the Black Materia, but Gast got pretty pissy and started telling that they shouldn't even consider that, but then she said something really quiet to him and he went quiet and Bugen went humm humm humm and said that they should still think of other options that it would be only used if there was simply no other way..."

"Breathe, Yuffie..." Tifa advised. Her voice sounded too calm.

"But they didn't say what it was anymore what she had suggested, but sounds like it's really bad. They just figured we have to take care of Sephiroth and Jenova quick and keep the Black Materia from him. I figured then I better come down and fill you guys in on this."

All three fell silent. Vincent barely dared to breathe, and was sure his heart could be heard around the observatory. He wanted to step through the door, ask them questions, find out if there was anything he could do, find some way to help them!

'... I'm not entitled to help anyone. I only bring sorrow and pain.'

"How could we counter the Black Materia?" Tifa asked just the question he had wondered. He suspected that they didn't know either what exactly this special materia did, but it must be some spell or another.

"... With another materia, I suppose." Nanaki said. It was so simple. Another materia, a countering one. Fire, ice. Earth, wind. Poison, heal. Every materia had a countering one. Even the summons had their counterparts. If there was a Black Materia, there must be a White Materia.

"Where could we find it, then? They must know, if Ifalna is going to use it." Tifa asked his question again.

"Well, I don't have it." Yuffie said, making Vincent blink with confusion. Why would the girl say such a thing?

"Are you sure? It seems to me a lot of materias just happen to fall into your pockets." Tifa's voice was teasing now, and the other girl must have done something that made her laugh.

"Well, let's hope for the best, then. I'm sure that if it comes to that, Grandfather and the others will let us know what we must do."

Vincent could hear them start moving around in the room, and got up quietly himself, sneaking to the bed and back underneath the blankets. If one of them decided to check on him, they'd find him sleeping peacefully.

But even though he pretended sleep, Vincent's mind was in an uproar. Because he hadn't been able to protect his own child, the world was suffering. He needed to make amends. He WANTED to make amends. He doubted that he'd be made a member of the Avalanche anytime soon, but the Cetra woman's words still rang in his mind, her request for him to look after Aeris. She seemed wise, and for what he knew and guessed, the Cetras knew many things that were hidden from humans.

Maybe his part in this play wasn't over yet after all...

-

* * *

A.N: Maybe it's because I was really tired when writing it, but Barret's little trick is my friggin' favourite bit! XD

Ah, sorry jpopslov for misspelling your name last time... :p Well, everyone, I'm off to a holiday! The next chapter will come out sometime mid-July, have fun everyone! And thank you for reading! :) Please review!!

--

EXTRA:

Cid stared at the radio's mouthpiece like it had just sprouted wings and given birth to puppies. Zax was almost jumping up and down in the backseat. Cait Sith climbed in, settling down on the seat beside the Soldier.

"Uh, run that by me again, would you? You're up inna plane, flying, and you don't fuckin' know HOW TO FLY IT?! Am I the only one seeing a bit of a conflict here?

There was a moment of silence, only static coming across the radio. Then

"DON'T YOU MESS WITH ME, MISTER! I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU AND YOUR SMART-ASSY-NESS! NOW YOU EITHER HELP US LAND THIS METAL PIECE OF JUNK OR I SWEAR I'LL SO RIP OFF ANYTHING DANGLY FROM YOUR PRESENCE AND FEED IT TO YOU THROUGH YOUR NOSTRILS!"

Cid, Cait and Zax could FEEL the rage of the words; it was if a red-hot wind of justified anger hath washed over them, singing their hairs and burning Cid's cig down to the filter. They stood in horrified silence for a moment, even the birds and monsters in the area cowering in their nests.

"...eep..." Zax managed to squeak just before the static was interrupted again, and the same, feminine voice spake unto them again.

"If you'd be so kind."


	33. 2, Chapter Fifteen

I promised a new chapter in July, you're getting it in July! :) If anyone's reading this who I should have e-mailed by now, I'm getting there! Sorry! Xp And I still haven't mastered this QuickEdit-thing...

Disclaimery stuff: Everything belongs to Square, I own nothing. Warnings for baaad language, as in swearing and typos, and boy love.

* * *

**Chapter fifteen: Be very, very quiet, we're hunting Materia!**

-

It was an uneasy but a necessary alliance. Both sides had something the other wanted, so they had agreed to help each other through this little adventure.

As long as Elena kept in touch with Rude in Midgar once every hour, Marlene and Shera stayed alive. So Barret and Cloud couldn't harm her or Reno no matter how strong the urge. And Aeris had assured that if anything happened to her two friends, the Turks could find their own way through the Temple, and she'd make sure that the spirits of her kinfolk would make every step they took feel like hell. But the thought was in everyone's head, save Aeris':

_As soon as we get out of here..._

"We're here. The Materia." Aeris whispered and entered a large room which bathed in torchlight. The four who followed her lead stopped, glaring at each other. Who would get to it first? Who would get to take it out of here?

The room was high and long, but the orange torchlight made it seem smaller. The stone walls were warm in colour, even without the fire. On the long wall opposite the door were murals, ancient pictures and hieroglyphs. Aeris, mesmerized, stepped closer. Cloud was right behind her, throwing suspicious looks in the Turks' direction. But Reno and Elena were more interested in the other end of the room where they could see a low altar. Something was shining just above it.

"This..." Aeris murmured, reaching out to almost touch the wall, "this is how the Black Materia... came to be... its history..."

The Turks started to inch towards the far end of the room while the two were busy with the wall. But Barret noticed.

"Not so fast..." he growled and the two froze. But only for a moment. Reno looked at the large man over his shoulder, and grinned.

"I think it's every man for himself from here on, buddy..." the redhead said and winked. Before Barret could lift his gun-arm to shoot, the Turk had lashed out with his weapon. The electricity shot out from its tip and caught Barret's gun-arm, making him roar with pain.

Aeris barely noticed, trying to make out the writing. Cloud turned around in time to see Barret fall to his knees while the Turks ran towards the altar. The blond didn't stop to check if the leader of Avalanche was all right; he growled and started to run.

Reno had figured they'd reach the altar before the others, grab the Black Materia and... well, then they could just get rid of Avalanche and find their way out. Couldn't be too hard. Elena was maybe twenty feet from the altar, he himself not far behind her when something landed on his back and he crashed, face first, to the hard floor. The Turk and his assailant rolled a few feet with the momentum of the crash, and when he could get his eyes open again the sight was far too familiar from his nightmares.

Reno screamed.

Cloud was sitting on his chest, pinning his arms down with his legs, hands on his throat tight enough to make it hard to breathe. The blond's face was close to his, the almost childish features twisted into a grimace. Reno couldn't help but wonder if this was the last thing Tseng had seen before dying.

There was a small click, and the barrel of Elena's gun was pressed to Cloud's temple. The blue eyes shifted slightly, and Reno could see a spark of fear in them. That didn't help him much, though; the hands on his throat only tightened their grip.

"Yes, they're only tranquilizers, but want to guess what your head will look like once I shoot one from this close?" the blonde Turk hissed, her hand shaking.

Another click, a louder one, and the end of Barret's gun-arm was suddenly pointed at her head, only a foot away. "Not so fast, girl..."

"...We still have your kid, Wallace..." Elena answered, but her voice was far from threatening.

Aeris turned from the mural, sure that they had found the Black Materia. But the others weren't behind her anymore. She turned towards the far end of the room.

"...I turn my back for a moment and they start killing each other? Oh mother, give me strength..."

She moved to the next mural, checked quickly if there was anything they needed to know in it, and moved to the next.

"We're not safe yet, I suggest you get up. And no fighting each other!"

From the corner of her eye she could see them get up slowly as she moved to the next mural. When she reached the one after that, the four were all standing a few feet from each other, glaring quietly. But her gasp made them all turn to her.

"... Oh no..."

The mural in front of her was similar to the others. It had the human-like shapes of the Cetras and hieroglyphs to add to the illustrations. But in the middle of it was a huge, circular shape, looking like it was falling down from the sky.

"What is that?" Cloud asked. He was the only one who had come closer; Barret and the Turks were still glaring at each other as they listened in.

"Meteor." Aeris said and stepped closer to the wall, staring up at the large sphere. "The Black Materia summons the Meteor."

Reno whistled. "Looks pretty powerful. No wonder Sephiroth's after it... too bad he ain't gonna get it!"

"You better pray he never gets his hands on it..." Aeris said, her voice loud and clear. "Do you have any idea what the Meteor does? Why the Cetras built this temple to guard it?"

"No, but I suppose you're gonna tell me..." the redhead muttered, not too thrilled. The flower girl turned to them, her eyes once again glowing green with anger and the power of the Cetras.

"The Meteor finds small, drifting planets with its magic and collides with them. This planet might get wiped out entirely!"

That wiped away even Reno's cocky grin.

"But... why the hell would he want to destroy the whole Planet? I thought he just wanted power!" Elena shouted, looking over her shoulder as if she expected Sephiroth to appear behind her at any minute.

Reno shook his head. "He's gotta be bluffing. He just wants it to make threats. 'If you don't give me this and that, I'll summon Meteor on your asses!' Like that. No one'd be stupid enough to destroy the whole Planet."

Aeris turned to Cloud. "Do you know anything?"

"... It's Jenova who runs the show..." was all Cloud said. Reno and Elena looked a bit puzzled, knowing the name vaguely from Hojo's projects.

"Jenova's been imprisoned inside the Planet for over two millennia. It must have been driving her crazy. She must be willing to do anything to free herself. Even if it means killing everything, including herself."

"Hey, who exactly is this Jenova-chick?" Reno asked when Aeris' words had sunk in.

"Ask Hojo. He should be happy to tell you. Of course, he'll kill you for it. Or make you one of his specimens..." Cloud said, turning towards the altar. The Turks shivered at the mention of the professor but didn't let it distract them.

"What do you think you're doin', brat?" Reno more growled than spoke, stopping Cloud before he'd taken more than two steps. "The Black Materia will be leaving with us. We'll keep it away from Sephiroth."

"We'll take it." Barret said, stepping in front of the Turk. "Shin-Ra ain't worthy to spit on the Planet!"

"We can't afford to fight, not until we're out of here!" Aeris shouted when Barret and the Turks seemed ready to jump to each other's throats.

Again, Cloud was faster than the others expected. While they were shouting at each other, the clone dashed to the altar and reached out to grab the shining miniature of the Temple which floated above the altar. But his hand went straight through it, making the whole room shake. The Turks, Aeris and Barret stopped shouting and turned to him.

"What did you do?!" Aeris asked, pale as a sheet, but before Cloud could answer a roar filled the room, and a large, red dragon descended from the shadows of the ceiling.

* * *

The small cat had covered its ears with its paws while Zax and Cid seemed to compete on who could come up with the worst expletive. Cid was leading so far, but this was mostly due to the fact that he knew more of them than the Soldier did.

They had reached the Temple almost two hours ago but were still stuck outside. They had climbed the stairs up to the top and found the way in, but without the Keystone there was no way they could get the portal to open. Zax had even tried hitting the altar and anything resembling a door with rocks or his sword, but had only managed to make his arms ache.

They had started to search the rest of the Temple for another way in, but so far had found nothing. They hadn't heard anything of their friends inside, either. Only when Elena had reported to Rude once every hour, but only Cait Sith had heard that, and only because the bald Turk was watching the screens over Reeve's shoulder in Midgar.

The cat let out a small sigh, as much as a robot could sigh. It had hopped down to the lowest levels of the Temple, where the vines and other plants covered most of the walls. If there was another way in, maybe a secret passage, this would be an ideal place to have it. But no matter how they searched, they still came up with nothing.

Then the Temple shook gently. Cait could hear Cid screaming profanities somewhere on the other side.

If it was an earthquake, it was a very small one. But the huge rocks of the Temple still moved a bit, making low, screeching noises as stone scraped against stone. Cait winced as the noise made his ears ring. The mog reached up and pulled them both up to a higher level. Zax had done the same, the Soldier was crouching not far from them, and Cid's swearing was coming closer.

"Shit, guys, what the hell was that?!"

"I don't know..." Zax answered, looking over his shoulder with a raised eyebrow. "Cait? Any idea?"

The robot shrugged. "Give me a sec..." the stones beneath their feet shook gently again while Reeve worked, back in Midgar. "Well, it wasn't an earthquake. The rest of the island was untouched by it. So it must have been just the Temple."

Another tremor, this time a stronger one. And they were ready to swear that they heard a screaming noise.

"... What the hell was THAT?! Cid asked again, looking nervous. Zax pulled out his sword as the Temple's shaking got worse and the scream grew louder.

Then it was over. The stones settled and the scream vanished. A few small pebbles fell before the world became still again. Soon the birds of the jungle started to sing, hesitantly at first.

"I think it's over..." Cait said when its human friends stopped being so pale. Zax nodded and Cid lighted a cigarette with shaking hands. But the world had to prove the words wrong.

The quakes must have knocked something loose in the Temple's foundations. Something cracked loudly, stone scraped against stone, making the building tremble slightly. They all winced when something big and heavy hit the ground.

"... Now it's over?" the cat dared a guess.

Zax was first to react, he jumped up and, keeping low, sword still in hand, hurried towards the source of the noise. Cait Sith followed him, and Cid grabbed his spear and kept looking over his shoulder while running after them.

"It's a door!" Zax shouted before the others caught up with him. The Soldier was on his stomach, peering over the ledge to the lower level of the Temple from where a stone had fallen, revealing an opening in the wall. Cid swore with surprise and kneeled beside him.

"Well I'll be damned, so it is... next you're gonna suggest we go in, right?"

Zax only smirked, sheathed his sword and hopped down to ground level, peering past the boulder into the darkness. Cid and Cait Sith were soon beside him.

"Looks like a hallway..." the Soldier muttered, pulled his sword out again and stepped in.

Cid swore and sighed. "Headlong into the darkness... damned soldiers... not a brain in that head, I swear... hey cat, you wouldn't happen to have a torch or something?"

"Umm..." Cait lifted a paw to its chin for a moment. "Wait, I think I have something..." it turned on the mog and pulled open the large zipper running along its spine. Cid watched curiously as the small robot nearly dived into the bigger one, making the purple wings on the mog's back flap a bit.

"A-ha! Got it!" The little cat pulled out and straightened its crown with one paw, pulling out a flashlight with the other. "Would this be of any help?"

Cid took the flashlight, shaking his head with amusement. "Well whaddayaknow, you're not completely useless after all, cat." He turned it on and nearly blinded himself before turning the light into the darkness of the hallway, startling Zax. "Hold on, hot-shot, we're coming..."

* * *

They had pushed the dragon's corpse off the altar where it had fallen and into a corner. Aeris had cured the wounds it had caused, even for the Turks, not listening to Barret's objections. Then they had taken a closer look at the altar and at the miniature temple above it, the Cetra girl glaring at anyone who tried to touch it.

"So... what the hell does that mean?" Reno asked, his patience thin and nerves on edge. It had been a long day, and it wasn't even close to being over yet, not from what Aeris was saying. None of them had much energy or patience left, they all just wanted to get out.

Aeris closed her eyes and breathed deep before continuing. "If you'd let me finish... the spirits tell me that the whole Temple IS the Black Materia. THIS is a model of it." She pointed at the small temple above the altar. "Inside it is a device which gets smaller every time you solve a puzzle. As the model gets smaller you get smaller too, until it's small enough to fit in the palm of your hand."

"So... if we solve the puzzles, the Temple gets smaller, and we can take the Materia out?" Apparently Elena's mind was still working, or at least faster than the other's. Aeris nodded slowly.

"Yes, but there's one thing... you can only answer the puzzles inside the Temple. So whoever solves them... will be crushed with the Temple when it gets smaller and smaller."

"... Fuck." Reno said after a long silence. "So we came all the way here for this?! To get to die in this rotten, stinkin' hole? No thanks, not even for Rufus Freakin' Shin-Ra. I'm outta here..." the redhead was angry but only walked a few steps to the closest wall and leaned against it, sliding down to sit on the floor.

Elena shook her head and stared at the model, thinking hard. Barret swore under his breath and vented his frustration by hitting the closest wall a few times. Cloud circled the altar, staring at the model. This was what he had been sent here to get. So close, but if he'd take it, he'd be destroyed. He was just a clone, this was what he was created for, but... he didn't want to die.

"Hey. Shin-Ra dog... let your friend know not to hurt my girl..." Barret said suddenly, remembering that it had been quite a while since Elena had last reported to Rude. The blonde Turk nodded and pulled out her PHS.

* * *

Reeve heard parts of Elena's report through the PHS since Rude was still standing just behind him, even though the Turk had now turned his back on him. It was a relief, having the large man bend over his shoulder like that made it extremely hard for Reeve to concentrate. He was used to working alone, and felt his territory violated. He knew that the Turks and the President didn't trust him much anymore, and they had good reason to, since his loyalties were shifting very quickly, but he wished they would have left him alone.

By following the pattern the tracking device in Elena's PHS had left on the screen he had gotten some idea on how the Temple had been built and in which part of it the small group was now. Another dot on the screen showed him where Cait Sith was, and they weren't that far from each other anymore, not after the trio had found the hallway into the Temple. The cameras in Cait's eyes showed him a stony hallway which twisted and descended. But it wasn't long before the hall came to a stop in front of a wall. There was something odd about the stone, Reeve could see it even through the cameras, even without Highwind swearing and explaining in his usual way how 'fuckin' weird' the wall was.

It was like it had a pulse. Lindeman noted that it was warm to touch, and he jumped quickly away from it when the wall let out a low, growling noise. Reeve jumped a bit in his chair, and again when Rude put his huge hand on his shoulder. The Turk was glaring down at him, Reeve could tell, even through the sunglasses. He was offered the PHS.

"We have a problem." Rude said, short as usual. Reeve nodded and took the device, lifting it to his ear.

"Hello?"

* * *

"Mister Reeve? Where did Rude go?" Elena asked suddenly, drawing everyone's attention to her. Barret's eyes flashed and he turned to Aeris.

"Reeve? Isn't that the guy behind Cait Sith?"

Aeris nodded and waved him quiet, listening when Elena explained the situation again. When she was done the room went completely quiet, and apparently so did Reeve.

"Mister Reeve? Are you still there?"

Reno and Aeris had stepped closer to Elena to listen, and leaned even closer when Reeve suddenly started talking frantically. The Cetra caught something about Cait Sith, a slight chance of it working and them getting out through the back door.

"What's going on?" Barret asked with a low voice, lowering his human hand to Aeris' shoulder. She just motioned for him to step closer to listen.

Cloud watched them all from the other side of the altar. He knew he had to do it, his blood, his mind, his whole being was telling him to grab the model, answer the puzzles and get the Black Materia out of the Temple. He'd die, but maybe that was his destiny. A part of him was ready for it, and willing, but most of him was fighting it. He didn't want to die, not like this, not this young. But if something didn't come and save him soon, the part of him which was Jenova's would take over and make him take the Materia.

Elena shut the PHS and looked at the others, one by one. Except for Cloud, they were all huddled around her now, staring at her expectantly.

"Um... yes. The... he... would you all stop staring at me now? Reeve said we should find a way out, Cait Sith, Captain Highwind and Soldier Lindeman found the backdoor. He'll send Cait Sith through that to get the Materia once we get the door to open. He says the robot's disposable."

"Makes sense..." Barret muttered, nodding. Cloud sighed with relief and joined the others.

With a last look at the miniature temple they left the long room by the door they had first entered through, and following in their own tracks they found their way back to the clock room which had completely puzzled Reeve when he had followed their progress on the screen. The hands wouldn't move this time, they formed a clear path through the room. With no other options they took it, and found another large room with a door on the far wall.

"This must be it..." Reno muttered and they walked carefully towards it, trying to avoid any possible traps. But there were none, and they reached the wall without any problems.

"Is the wall... I don't know... breathing?" Elena asked when Reno and Barret tugged at the heavy door, trying to get it to open. She turned back to Aeris and Cloud who were a bit behind, and frowned when she saw the horrified looks on their faces. The Turk backed away from the wall a bit, keeping her eyes on it, and felt her jaw fall to her chest when she saw a vicious, turtle-like head and clawed hands come out of the wall.

"... shit... reno... you better..." her voice was barely a squeak before she gave up, turned and ran behind Aeris.

"Barret! Get away from there! Quickly!" Aeris shouted, clutching her staff tightly to her chest. Cloud had pulled out his sword and Elena was quickly loading her weapon with tranquilizers and slipping various materia into her wrist-bangles.

Barret and Reno turned to see the other three ready to fight, but there was no enemy in sight. Then the wall before them trembled. The two enemies who had been forced together looked up, turned and ran from the wall as if they had one mind. The wall with its hideous head and arms followed, dropping heavy rocks and stalactites onto them.

Aeris called a protective wall above them but the creature was so strong its attacks still hurt. It was strong and stubborn, but in the long run not a match for the five of them, when Turk and Avalanche fought on the same side. In the end the monstrous wall collapsed on the ground, throwing up a cloud of dust and small rocks as it shattered completely.

"One more surprise before we get outta here and I'm gonna flip..." Reno muttered, lighting a cigarette with shaking hands while Aeris mended his leg, broken by a falling slab of stone. None of the others were seriously hurt, even though they'd all caught a stone or two with their heads.

"Hey guys! Are you all right?!"

Even though they were all tired enough to just drop to the floor and sleep, they all had their weapons out and aimed at the voice coming from the previously closed door. Cait Sith, standing in the open portal, stopped in its tracks, and both cat and mog lifted their hands.

"C-come on, you guys... you don't hate me that much, do you?" the cat squeaked and they lowered their weapons. Cid and Zax were behind the robot in the next moment and pushed it roughly into the room.

"Shit! You're even in one piece, all of you!" Cid shouted, sounding far more relieved and happy than his usual grumpy attitude would allow. Zax just ran past him and Cait, jumping over rocks without even slowing. Aeris had to smile when the Soldier grabbed Cloud into a tight hug, the two of them almost falling to the floor with the force of the impact. Cloud, eyes wide, took a moment to register that he was being hugged, not strangled, and wrapped his arms around Zax's waist.

"Oh how fuckin' adorable, I think I wanna puke now. Come on, Elena, let's get out of here..." Reno muttered while getting up. He limped a bit and exchanged angry glares with Cid as the two passed each other. Elena followed him, and soon the Turks were out of sight.

"Shouldn't we follow them..." Cloud asked, his voice muffled since he was still practically squished against Zax's chest.

"They won't leave until they've at least tried to get the Black Materia..." Aeris answered and turned to Cait Sith, smiling. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

The small cat nodded. "Yeah, well, it's the least I can do, right? This body's just a stuffed toy, so... no harm done."

"Do you know where the materia is? What to do?" the Cetra asked, scratching the cat's neck gently. Cait purred, and nodded.

"Yeah, I can follow in your tracks. Then I'll just... answer the puzzles, right?" Aeris nodded, and the small cat looked at them one more time. "Well I guess I'm off to save the Planet. Thanks for believing in me, even though I was a spy..."

"Yeah, uhh... bye then, cat..." Cid muttered, waving his hand quickly as a goodbye before he turned away, searching for a cigarette.

"Don't worry, Barret, Marlene's safe. And Shera, too." Barret nodded at the robot before turning and starting to walk towards the door. Aeris gave the cat a quick hug.

"Do your best, Cait Sith!"

"Good luck." Zax had finally let go of Cloud enough to turn his head and smile. The clone nodded his goodbyes as well, seeming more than a bit flustered.

"Thank you. You guys better get out fast..." Cait Sith said and started hopping towards the door to the clock room. It turned once more to wave and wink at them. "May the best man get the Materia!" Then it disappeared.

"Oh yeah, we still have to fight the bloody Turks for it, right?" Cid muttered, chewing on the filter of his cigarette as they started towards the open door. Cait Sith had filled him and Zax in on the details of the phone conversation while they had tried to get the door open.

Barret was already in the hallway, walking towards the exit ahead of them. Cid and Aeris were a few yards behind him, and Zax and Cloud followed them.

Aeris nodded, looking like she was ready to drop. "Oh yes. And then make sure we keep it until we reach the Canyon again. And then think of a way to get rid of it. This is far from over..." she said, sounding resigned. Cid blinked a few times, not knowing what to say.

"Hey, come on, buttercup... you're not supposed to be the pessimist of this group, that's my bloody job!"

Aeris laughed and caught his arm, leaning her head against his shoulder for a moment. "Thank you, Cid. I needed that."

"No problem, girl..." Cid muttered and sighed with relief. He felt that as long as Aeris believed in what they did, there was still some hope left.

Zax still had an arm around Cloud's shoulders, pinning the blond tightly to his side. Although he had slapped Cloud in the back of his head with annoyance as soon as the others had started to leave, he couldn't let the younger one out of his sight again.

"Don't ever, ever do anything stupid like that again, ok? I was worried sick!"

Cloud nodded, feeling like he'd heard the same words for twenty times now in the last minute. But it felt nice, to know that Zax cared for him after all. Even if the bright smile the Soldier was giving him now would soon pale to that almost fake one again, it was real for now.

"I'm sorry, Zax. I won't..." he said, for the twentieth time in the last minute.

The two Turks and Barret were waiting for them on the outside, and they walked across the bridge together, no one saying a word. Now they could only wait for Cait Sith to do his part.

The silence had enough time to grow into a heavy wall between them before the Temple started to rumble again. As the seven watched on, the large monument started to shrink in front of their eyes, slow at first but then at a quickening pace, until the area in which the Temple of the Ancients had stood was bathed in green light. When the light faded the building was gone. Only a hole in the ground was left, surrounded by a high wall.

They all went tense in a heartbeat, knowing that now the race for the Black Materia started. It would end in fighting, there wasn't any doubt of that. It was sad in a way, considering that they had spent most of the day working together, for the same goal. But now they were again divided into Turks and Avalanche.

Except, of course, for Cloud, who played for Jenova and Sephiroth. Zax hadn't thought to restrain the blond better, so as soon as the green light disappeared, Cloud was half a second faster than the others in starting to run. And he was fast, thanks to the large amount of Mako in his blood, and Jenova's cells in his body. He beat the others to the bridge easily, and was already over it by the time Reno, who was a good second, reached the middle of the bridge.

"Stop, you son of a bitch!" The redhead stopped once he was over the bridge, long enough to catch his breath to scream, which was enough time for Cid to race past him and punch him out of the way. Elena didn't stop to help her partner but hurried on, trying to catch the older blond. Reno managed to roll out of the way just before Zax and Barret ran over him, the Soldier also shouting for Cloud to stop.

Panting for breath, the Turk lay on his back for a moment. They'd still get a chance to get the Materia. They'd fight for it. And even if he nor Elena got it, better that the Avalanche have it than Sephiroth.

Before he could get up, a shadow fell over him. Reno looked up just in time to see the end of a staff coming towards his head, very fast.

"I'm sorry." Aeris whispered when the Turk fell back to the ground, unconscious. Then she ran again.

Cloud was already at the bottom of the pit when Aeris reached the edge. Cid and Elena were with him, but they seemed to be fighting each other rather than the clone. Zax was climbing down as fast as he could.

Aeris stopped by Barret's side, glancing up at the dark man.

"You took care of red there... good. Then blondie, an' we got the rock." Barret said, staring into the pit where Elena had managed to knock Cid to the floor and was in the process of rubbing his face into the dirt. Zax was pulling her away from the blond the next second, though, and Cid was swearing loud enough to be heard even up on the ledge. Aeris smiled.

Cloud stood very still, staring at the Black Materia in his hands. He didn't seem to be aware of the fight going on right beside him, so close that Elena was now kicking dirt on him.

"We should take the Black Materia from Cloud... I'm afraid we cannot afford to trust him, even if Zax does." She said quietly and was about to start to descend into the pit when the very air before them shimmered. The jungle fell completely quiet, and even the fighting ended. Aeris and Barret froze and could only stare as a dark shape began to form in front of them. It was just a blotch of darkness at first, but soon it deepened into pitch black and spread, growing legs and arms. A pale chest and neck came to their sight next, followed by a head which was haloed by a mass of light, silver hair. But the thing that captured their attention completely was the eyes. Thin slits of brightly glowing mako green with a venomous look that seemed to go straight through them.

Sephiroth smirked.

They could only watch as the man, looking like a beautiful angel of darkness descended into the pit. Barret fought to get his body to move, to do anything to stop the man, but his cells refused to listen. He could move only his eyes to follow every move Sephiroth made.

* * *

The soles of Sephiroth's black boots met the pit's bottom gently, making only a quiet noise. Amused, he let his eyes roam over the frozen, surprised faces of those who looked upon him in reverence. Or maybe it was horror, but was there really such a big difference between the two?

Zackery was there, pleading with his eyes. Those violet eyes which used to laugh all of the time. Why weren't they laughing anymore? Something inside of him said that it was his fault that they were so serious, but it couldn't be. He was a god, he could do no wrong. Zackery was weak, just a human. Not worthy of his time or attention.

The blond woman and Highwind were embracing each other strangely, like they had wanted to kill each other. But now they seemed to be trying to steady themselves, stay standing with each other's help. They were even weaker than Zackery. How amusing.

And then the clone. The only one with strength enough to actually move in his presence. Well, it was expected, the boy was a part of him. A part of Her. They might even make the boy the ruler of mankind once the world was theirs. If he was still alive by that time. As gods, they couldn't be bothered with running the pitiful race, taking care of its petty problems. The clone could pass justice in their name.

There wasn't even any fear in those glowing blue eyes. No fear as the creature gazed upon him in awe.

"Give me the Black Materia, Cloud." Sephiroth said, his voice full of mirth and power. He put out his hand and the clone twitched, stepping closer, hands raising, offering him death and destruction.

"Cloud, DON'T!"

Sephiroth looked up, annoyed. The Cetra had managed to escape from under his spell, making the clone hesitate. He could just march up to the blond and take the Materia, but where would the fun be in that? He enjoyed showing his power too much to just do it the easy way.

He turned back to the hesitating clone and fixed his eyes upon him. "Cloud. Give me the Materia."

The blond winced and let out a small, pained sound. Cloud's arms twitched as he offered the Materia again, but his feet didn't move.

"Don't fight me..." Sephiroth said quietly, slightly amused to see who'd win this battle of wills, he or the Cetra? Or would the clone break before they could find that out? It was breathing hard now, blood was starting to come out of its nose.

"I won't hesitate to hurt him, you know... but how much pain can you cause?"

The clone screamed in pain and the Cetra lifted a hand up to her eyes, whimpering in agony. Why didn't they just give up? Couldn't they understand that they couldn't beat him? He was, after all, Jenova's son. More powerful than any pitiful Cetra, far above the worms who called themselves humans. He was a god, and soon he'd rule them all.

"Seph. Don't. Please!"

A hand came down on his forearm suddenly, almost shattering his concentration. The clone and the Cetra both swayed with relief, and at least one of them was sobbing. Sephiroth turned to stare at the hand, followed it with his eyes over the wristband, up tanned skin to a shoulder covered with a dark green shirt and spikes of almost black, messy hair. To a tanned face and pleading, violet eyes which smiled no more.

"Zackery." The Soldier seemed almost relieved when he called him by his name. "I'm impressed. You escaped my spell as well. How surprising."

The Soldier dismissed his words with a wave of his other hand. There was urgency in those violet eyes now, desperation and fear. "Seph, please don't do this. You have to fight her. Don't let her do this to you, Seph! You gotta listen to me, she's--"

"She's my mother, Zackery. She's a part of me. Now if you don't want to lose your hand, I suggest you remove it from our person."

He wasn't watching the Soldier anymore, but he could hear the shocked intake of breath. The hand didn't let go of his arm, but Zackery's other hand was at the hilt of his sword and the sword out of its sheath in less than a heartbeat. Sephiroth was almost amused by the fact that his oldest friend was trying to kill him. Amused enough not to make it lethal when he lashed out with his other hand. It caught the Soldier on his upper chest and threw him back to crash against the pit's rocky wall. The body made an interesting sound first when it hit the hard earth wall and then when it fell to the ground, limp and useless.

The fist to his face came as a total surprise. Sephiroth staggered back a few steps and lifted a gloved hand up to his stinging cheek where the bruise was already healing out of sight. He looked in surprise at the panting clone who was glaring daggers at him.

"Don't... hurt... Zax!" The blond told him but the threat was hard to take seriously, considering the clone was barely able to stand. Sephiroth snorted and knocked him out with one quick slap of his will.

But the punch had broken his concentration, and the spell he'd placed on the humans had vanished. The two blonds who were still conscious made a quick dash towards the Black Materia which the clone had apparently dropped at some point. Sephiroth bared his teeth when the leader of Avalanche opened fire on him. The arrogance!

With a wave of his hands he threw the two blonds out of his way and concentrated on the Black Materia. It rose swiftly from the ground and came flying straight to his waiting hands. When his fingers closed around it, everything fell quiet.

He turned around a full circle, slowly, taking in everything around him. Zackery, bloody and broken but still breathing, laying on the ground. Some small part of him had been happy to see the Soldier had survived, but it was a very small part and it was quiet now. The two blonds, the Turk woman and Highwind, tossed to the other side of the pit like ragdolls, alive but stunned. The unconscious clone, a pile of failures by his feet not even worthy of a kick. The leader of Avalanche was still aiming his gun-arm at him, shaking with rage. He had jumped down to a lower ledge at some point, leaving the Cetra alone on the top.

The Cetra. Sephiroth smiled at her.

"Sweet miss Gast... daughter of Professor Gast. How nice to meet you..."

Green eyes, the same colour as his but still so very different, glared at him. "It's Gainsborough. I go by my mother's name."

"So would I, in your stead. Your good father doesn't deserve to have something as beautiful as you named after him." Sephiroth wooed her, smiling gently as she shivered and averted her eyes.

"What do you want, Sephiroth? Why do you wish to hurt the Planet?"

"I don't wish to hurt it... I wish to become one with it. I wish for it to become one with me..."

He was pleased to see that the green eyes turned back to him. "What? You... you plan to become one with the Planet? But why? How?"

"Don't you know? You, a daughter of the Cetra, a carrier of the legacy of this Planet? You can't see?" Now he was genuinely amused. The look on her face was priceless when she began to understand what he was after. "Oh yes, you shake your head but I can see that you understand..." he rose into the air and started to ascend.

"Only death awaits these mortal beings... but it's through death that the spirit energy is born. When the Planet is hurt badly enough, it gathers all the spirit energy it can find to heal the wound. The worse the injury, the more energy is needed to fix it. Now imagine..." they were face to face now, and what a pretty face she had.

"Imagine an injury that threatens the very life on the Planet. Think of the energy needed to heal that!" He floated closer to her, and she took a few steps back, her face pale with fear. He reached out with a gloved hand, touching her cheek gently. He was aware, to some extent, that his voice was different. More feminine than before.

"And at the center of that injury will be me. All that boundless energy will be mine. By merging with it all I shall become a new life form. I will cease to exist as I am now, only to be reborn as a god to rule over every soul. And all of those who died, they will live again as a part of me... and when the human race raises its head again, they will raise it only to bow down at my feet."

"No!" She was trying to get away from him but Sephiroth reached out with both hands, grabbing her by a shoulder and an arm. He pulled her against his chest and let go of her arm, only to take a gentle hold of her chin.

"You are the only one on this Planet who comes even near to me in power... you even controlled my clone! Surely you're the only one who is fit..."

"F-fit for what?" she was still struggling, even though she must have realized it was useless. He wasn't letting her go.

Sephiroth leaned closer and smiled, watching how his hot breath on her face made her shiver.

"The only one... fit to be... my queen..."

Her scream rang in his ears for a good while, even after he left her and the island and teleported back to the Northern Crater, the Black Materia heavy in his pocket. He gave the sphere a gentle pat and laughed when he walked past the new work of art in his little home. Maybe he'd name it The Last Battle or something as grand.

The Masamune was buried deep into the dead, alien head, and even halfway through the stone pedestal it sat upon. There was no blood, only a beautiful, clear crack all across the head, from the top to the smirking lips.

If she'd known that breaking the head would free her spirit to take another vessel for itself like this, to merge with a living soul, she'd had Hojo do it years ago. But... how did the humans put it? Better late... than never?

-

* * *

A.N: Weeeeell, obviously Jenova won her and Sephiroth's little 1 on 1...

ShiAne, thank you for your reviews! :D I'll put Zax on leash if he gets any silly ideas... ;)

V, sobbing: "I feel so... loved!"  
Z, glaring at Vincent: "... Attention junkie..."  
V: "You're one to talk..."


	34. 2, Chapter Sixteen

Disclaimer: Uhh, getting hard to think of new ways to say that I don't own anyone or any place in this here story. It deserves a warning for language (lots and lots of swearing!) and some mild shounen-ai. There's a lump of that in this chapter, near the end. You've been warned.

* * *

**Chapter sixteen: Picking up the pieces**

-

The sun was shining, somewhere high above them. But in the pit, left by the disappearance of the Temple of the Ancients, its light was pale and warmed no one.

Sephiroth had the Black Materia. And there really wasn't much they could do about it.

"We are fucked." Cid said, putting it simply. "He summons that sucker on us, ZAM! That's it. Game over. We're dead. Damn it. We should have save points or some shit like that, like in those games I used ta play as a kid. Just go back and try again. Crap. Real life sucks."

"Shut the fuck up!" Reno screamed from his side of the pit. He and Elena were sitting apart from the others, in their own secluded corner of misery.

After Sephiroth had left, Aeris, Barret and Reno, after he'd regained consciousness, had descended to the pit, not knowing what else to do at the moment. Basically everyone besides the two members of Avalanche was somehow injured, and it took a while to heal and bandage everyone enough that they could walk out to the jungle, and to the planes.

But no one was too eager to leave, to climb back up and face the rest of the world again. Even Aeris seemed too depressed to smile genuinely as she sat between Barret and Zax whilst Cid and Reno tossed insults at each other. Cloud sat next to the Soldier, and Elena was on the PHS, reporting to Rude what had happened.

"Soldier..." Barret growled with a low voice when Cid and Reno finally fell quiet, "you still loyal to your General? 'Coz if you are..."

"That wasn't Sephiroth." Zax almost lashed out, staring straight ahead. "If you missed it, I tried to kill him already. 'Cause that wasn't Seph, not the man I knew."

"Well then who the hell was it?!"

"... Jenova..." Cloud muttered, proving that he was listening and not so far in his own little world as the others had thought. Zax swore and closed his eyes, leaning the back of his head against the uneven wall.

"She's controlling him, I can feel it. More than before. It feels like... they're one, now. I don't know how or why." The blond continued, looking up at the Soldier. Eyes still closed, Zax lifted a hand to his shoulder.

"It's ok, Cloud. I feared it would come to that... he was so... caught up with her already five years back... and I couldn't do anything to help."

"Well boo-hoo..." Cid muttered, still glaring at Reno. Zax opened his eyes and leaned forward so that he could see the pilot.

"Excuse, me, Highwind, what was that?"

"Listen, kid, the man is nuts, ok? He's got the Black Materia and he's gonna bring the Meteor down on our asses, ok? He thinks he'll be able to become one with the Planet! So, I don't think it really matters anymore who he is or what you could have done differently five freakin' years ago. We either sit and wait for death or find the bastard and kick his ass, ok?" the pilot spread his hands and grinned madly, which finally brought a real smile on Aeris' lips and made Barret chuckle. Zax didn't seem too amused but eventually nodded.

"I know all that, intellectually. But I still don't like the idea of killing my best friend."

"But will you do it?" Barret asked, "Because that's the real question here."

"... Yes."

Silence descended in the pit again, at least on the Avalanche side. Elena was still talking on her PHS, and Reno was busying himself with zapping bugs with his electric stick.

"'Become one with the Planet'... that's mad talk!" Barret snorted after a while. Aeris had told them most of what Sephiroth had told her earlier, and even thought the plan was simple, even with its monstrous scale, it was still a lot to handle. "What the hell'll he do then, with most of the Planet dead and the rest scared outta their minds? Play god?"

"He plans to rule the Planet after it recovers. And everyone on it." Aeris said and shivered. "I didn't mention this earlier, with the Turks listening, but he... he said something about.. making me... his queen."

Her voice had fallen to almost a whisper before the last words, so only Barret and Zax heard them. Cloud let out a surprised noise, but that might have been because Zax started at her words.

"His WHAT?!" Barret roared so loud that even the Turks were startled. Aeris blushed furiously and Zax let out a very un-Soldier-like giggle.

"What? What's going on?" Cid asked

"Now I'm sure it wasn't the real Seph... damn he could win a whole war, but barely had the nerve to ask a pretty girl if he could buy her a drink..." Zax muttered and let out the strange giggle again. Cloud shrugged beside him.

"That crazy fucker ain't gettin' anywhere near you as long as I still stand!" Barret just about growled to Aeris, the muscles in his arms flexing.

"Have to agree with big guy on this one..." Cid said after Aeris had repeated her earlier words to him, "one's not supposed to marry into ultimate power."

"Dork." Zax muttered but grinned. "Don't worry, Aeris, we won't let him near you. Unless you want to, of course..."

"Of course not!" Aeris shouted, shocked, and shook her head when the Soldier laughed.

Across the pit, Elena finally closed her PHS and turned to the others. "Wallace, your kid is safe, and so is the woman. Reno, we need to get back as soon as possible and give our report."

Reno swore and got up, spitting on the ground. "A report? A fuckin' report?! 'Well, Mr President, the world as we know it is coming to an end! How about that? Now I'd like to get my bonus so that I can go and get drunk and not see it coming, ok?' How's that for a report?"

Elena didn't bother to answer him, she just stood up and dusted her clothes. Across the pit, Zax gently nudged Aeris and pointed at the Turks. The flower girl nodded and started to get up, waking Barret from his dark thoughts. The leader of Avalanche punched Cid with his gun-arm, and the Soldier pulled Cloud to his feet.

Slowly they made their way back up to ground level, and started the long, humid jungle path back towards the planes.

* * *

"... And that's how Cait Sith was lost." Reeve finished his report, staring at the floor at the President's office. The large desk was before him, but he could only see its shadow, and sense the cold, almost indifferent glare Rufus was giving him.

"Is that all you have to say, Reeve? You haven't forgotten anything?"

At that, Reeve raised his head, nervously chewing the inside of his cheek. "Sir?"

Rufus stood from his comfortable chair as the office's door opened and Rude stepped in noiselessly and moved to stand behind the head of Urban development, making Reeve feel uncomfortable.

"So far, you've reported to us of the movements of Avalanche quite superficially. I'm afraid that you have quite a bit of explaining to do. Like, for example, when were you going to inform us of the continued existence of one Zackery Lindeman, also well known as Sephiroth's friend and second in command?"

Reeve swallowed and thought quickly. The Turks must have informed the blond about this. "I... I didn't think you needed to be concerned with it. He has apparently joined the Avalanche, and doesn't seem to have an agenda of his own."

"Oh really?" Rufus asked, raising one blond eyebrow. "We'll have to see about that. I could let this slip, but unfortunately it has come to my attention that you haven't been keeping me up to date on a lot of other things that have happened amongst those you should be spying on."

"Sir, unfortunately the group doesn't trust Cait Sith so that they'd talk of all their plans in front of him... it." 'And whose fault that is, you spoiled bastard? Telling them yourself that it's Shin-Ra behind Cait, threatening Marlene...'

Rude's glare felt strong enough to bore through his back, and Reeve was sure the bald Turk could read his thoughts. He cleared his throat nervously and continued. "I assure you, sir, I've given you all the information I've received myself, and believed that would be of use to you."

The look Rufus gave him made him wonder if everyone here could read minds except him. The President clearly didn't trust him, didn't believe his words. But if he started to explain further, to defend himself, they'd only be more assured that he was keeping things from them.

Rufus was still staring at him calculatingly, and Reeve was sure that his jacket was already smoking where Rude's eyes met his back. 'Maybe the man has pure energy coming from his eyes and has to keep the sunglasses on to keep from killing everyone he sees... damn comics...'

Reeve sensed danger a split second before Rufus lifted an eyebrow and nodded slightly to Rude. He expected to die when the large man grabbed his throat from behind and almost lifted him from the ground. Reeve tried to pry the steel-strong fingers away before they choked him completely, but his strength was no match to Rude's. Then Rufus' face appeared in front of him, just as the world started to go black at the corners of his eyes.

"Fine, Reeve. You get one more chance. I don't care how you do it, but get another robot to Avalanche NOW, and report to me EVERY single thing you hear and find out. If one of them sneezes, I want to know it. All right?"

Choking, feeling his tongue make its way out of his mouth, Reeve nodded as vigorously as the hands on his throat allowed.

"Good. Do we understand each other now?"

Another nod, and a feeble punch to the steely arms that threatened to squeeze the life out of him. Reeve had his eyes closed so he didn't see the President nod, didn't get a warning before the strong hand let him fall to the carpeted floor, panting for breath.

"Good. Well then, let's get back to work. I expect a report as soon as the new robot reaches them. You're dismissed."

Reeve was still clutching his throat gingerly and trying to breath without heaving in lungfuls of air, so Rude picked him up and half dragged, half walked the wobbly man to the door and outside. There he was dumped to a chair in the waiting room.

"We'll be keeping an eye on you..." the quiet Turk said with his low voice, patted Reeve on the cheek and turned away.

Reeve sat in the chair for a few minutes, loosening his tie again and again, trying to get his body to stop shaking. Summons have mercy, Scarlet was preferable to Rufus!

* * *

It was long into the afternoon when the weary group reached the end of the jungle and spotted the three planes. They had traveled in silence, stopping only to wet their throats, but now they all, Turk and Avalanche alike, stopped to stare at the sun burning on the western sky.

"So. This is it." Elena said quietly. There was a tone of sadness in her voice, but whether it was for the nearing end of the world or for the end of their adventure remained unclear. Shaking her head, the blonde turned to Aeris. "Is there really no hope?"

"Well, it will take a while for Sephiroth to gather the spiritual energy he'll need to summon the Meteor, but unless we can stop him before that, there isn't much we can do..." the Cetra answered equally quietly. The two women were left a little behind, and their words didn't reach the men.

"So... there IS still hope? If we can find him?"

Aeris shrugged and smiled weakly. "There's always hope, I suppose. All the more hope if you've had a decent night's sleep, which I haven't for a while."

Elena chuckled and glanced at Reno. "Well then, we better get back to Midgar and report all this. It was... kinda fun hangin' with you guys, but I suppose that if we meet again, we'll have to fight each other."

"Let's hope not." Aeris said as a goodbye as the Turks started towards their airplane. Well, at least Elena did.

Reno lifted his arm, electricity crackling at the tip of his staff which he aimed at Cloud's head. "This is for Tseng, you bastard..."

"No." Zax stepped between them before the others had much time to react in any way, and shielded Cloud with his body. He stared straight in the Turk's eyes. "Reno, please. For whatever friendship we once had. Don't. Seph has the Black Materia, it'll all be over soon. What does it matter anymore?"

The redhead seemed ready to fry his old friend, but eventually turned the rod off and lowered it, swearing colourfully. "Get the fuck out of here, now. And the next time we meet, we'll be enemies. Got that?"

"...Thanks, Reno. Take care..." Zax muttered and started towards the planes, an arm around Cloud's shoulders. Elena reached out a hand to Reno, but the redhead pulled his arm away and stormed off. The blonde shrugged and started to follow him.

"Hey! Turk! What about my girl?!" Barret roared before she'd gotten two steps. "Are ya gonna let her and Shera go?"

Elena shrugged again. "We'll see what the President says. But I guess if there's nothing we can do, we might as well let them go..."

"Elena shut the fuck up! You can't go around promising shit like that to the freakin' enemy! Now get your ass to the plane!" Reno shouted angrily, waiting at the plane's side. "You're a Turk, not a humanitarian!"

"Yeah? You're a Turk, not a human!" Cid shouted out to Reno and laughed when the Turk flipped him off.

As soon as Elena got to the plane, the Turks climbed in and took off. The rest were left standing on the grassy field, watching as the plane disappeared out of sight.

"We might as well start to head on back... but not before I get something to eat! I'm so fuckin' hungry I could eat a chocobo and chase the rider..." Cid said and jumped into the Tiny Bronco, digging around in the cockpit until he found a bag of food. The others came to sit on the sunny grass beside the small plane, and they had a quick snack and a rest.

"So... what are we gonna do with that?" Zax asked after they'd finished eating, and pointed at the plane Cloud had stolen from the Gold Saucer.

Cid shrugged. "We might as well keep it. The owner's probably got a few of them, and if the Meteor's gonna kill us all, what good would returning it do anymore?"

"Cid! Stealing it in the first place was bad enough, now you're saying we keep it?" Aeris said, holding back laughter. The pilot smiled and winked.

"Ok, let's put it this way: we can use it to save the world! Now that's something even the owner will be happy about, even if he never sees his precious plane again. Am I right, or am I right?"

Now both Aeris and Zax laughed out loud, and even Barret cracked a smile. Cloud kept glaring at the plane suspiciously. "But..." the blond started, startling everyone, "how are we gonna take it with us?"

"Well, pretty boy, you're gonna fly it, of course! You flew it here, you fly it outta here!" Cid said, his grin wide enough to threaten to split his face in two. Cloud turned pale and seemed terrified enough to bolt for the jungle. Zax laughed and wrapped a comforting arm around his shoulders.

"Don't worry, I'll fly it. The rest of you can take the Bronco, ok?"

"Sure. Well, let's get to it, then!" Cid said and stood up, dusting off the breadcrumbs from the front of his shirt and from the scarf he always wore around his neck.

Cid, Aeris and Barret climbed into the Bronco, but Cloud decided to fly with Zax. The stolen plane was faster than the Tiny Bronco, so the two would arrive at Cosmo Canyon before the others. Cid would radio the desert town and let them know that they were coming. The three were still debating whether he should also let them know of everything what had happened or wait until they were all at the Canyon when they took off.

* * *

They were far over the sea when Zax finally broke the silence in the small plane.

"Hey, Cloud, you still awake?" the Soldier was flying the plane with relative ease, and with far less stress than the blond, who took a moment to answer.

"... How could I sleep in this?"

Zax chuckled and glanced quickly over his shoulder. "I'm not that bad at flying, am I?"

"No, but... I just want out."

"It's gonna take a few more hours before we're even near the Canyon, try to relax. I promise I won't let us fall."

Cloud fell quiet again and Zax fixed his eyes on the horizon. The sun was almost on the same level with the plane, falling to the west a bit to his right. The light almost blinded him, even though he'd changed their course so that the sun wouldn't be straight ahead of them. Everything seemed yellow or red, the whole world bathed in different, warm shades. Like on fire. The Soldier wondered if it would all end in flames. Probably. Or then the Planet would just explode when the Meteor collided with it.

He was so lost in morbid thoughts that he almost didn't hear the quiet click of the backseat's seatbelt open, and almost didn't see the thin arms before they'd snaked around his chest. Zax started and half jumped, mentally cursing that he'd let his guard down and immediately wondering why he didn't dare to trust the blond. Cloud was only gently hugging him, the thin arms barely long enough to reach around the chair and his chest.

"Zax? Did you really worry about me? When I was at the Temple?"

The Soldier cleared his throat to buy some time to relax. Once he was sure his voice wouldn't shake, he glanced over his shoulder, almost bumping his cheek to Cloud's nose. The clone had leaned his chin on the seat's side, beside the headrest.

"Of course! I mean, no one knew what was inside it. Shit, I was worried sick!" He swallowed hard when Cloud leaned closer, brushing their faces together. He had been worried and he'd missed the blond enough to make him seriously wonder about his true feelings. But now he felt that the invisible barrier between them was rising again. A barrier that seemed to come completely from him.

"I'm glad. I was worried about you too, Zax. I missed you... a lot." The blond held him tighter, now, and the yellow spikes tickled the Soldier's cheek. He felt like crying when he heard Cloud's next words. "... I love you, Zax..."

This time, the dark-haired man couldn't keep the tremble from his voice when he tried to distract the blond. "So, you're feeling all right now? In your head, I mean. Thinking straight?"

Cloud pulled back at that, slightly annoyed. Zax was relieved, but disappointed too, when Cloud's left hand rose from his chest to run through the blond spikes. The stubborn hairs jumped straight back up as soon as they'd passed through the fingers.

"Yes, I feel much better than before. 'They' aren't bothering me."

"Listen, uh... I've been wondering, how much do you remember about... you know, before... sorry, I mean... damn it, I don't know what I mean..."

"Before what?" Cloud pulled completely away from him now, and sat back into his seat. "What should I remember? Being Hojo's prisoner? Vincent? You and Sephiroth? Mom?"

"I'm sorry. It's just that Hojo... well, he said that the Jenova... the Jenova-cells you were created from wouldn't keep memories or personality, nothing like that, and that's why he put my memories into you. Memories about the real Cloud, what he was like, and Seph, and my feelings for the both of you... so you should really only know my thoughts and memories, but you seem to remember other things, too." While speaking he feared that he was saying the wrong words in a completely wrong way. His only answer was silence. After a long, very quiet moment Zax dared a look behind. "Cloud?"

The glowing blue eyes were fixed on the horizon, through the small window at their left. The Soldier tried a few more times to get a word, even a reaction from the blond, but Cloud wouldn't even look at him.

"Cloud? Are you ok?" Zax glanced over his shoulder again just in time to see the freezing, teary look the blond gave him.

"You think I only love you as a mirror of your old feelings for me? I know I'm just a disposable clone, but I never thought you thought so little of me. You must really hate me." Cloud said quietly, his tone so cold the words felt like icicles. Zax swallowed hard and hoped he could talk to the blond face to face, without having to worry about the plane. This was a stupid time to start asking questions like that...

"Hey, Cloud, I never meant it like that! Shit, you KNOW I care for you! A lot! And I believe that your feelings are real. I've just been wondering how much you remember, that's all. I..." he wanted to say 'I love you', but he didn't dare. He certainly had had very warm feelings developing for the original Cloud five years ago, but knowing this one was just a clone, having seen him grow up in a tank full of Mako... it was just too much. But clearly the blond had feelings, and he'd just managed to hurt them badly.

But if Cloud could remember everything, wasn't he still basically the same? The body was a clone, but had the soul somehow persevered? It had been hard to tell anything when Cloud had been distracted by 'them', or catatonic, or just plain confused, but now he was completely awake and sane. This was his chance to get to know Cloud, and he was fast screwing it.

"I don't hate you. I could never hate you..." his words were quiet but honest, and he prayed silently that Cloud would believe them. "I hate Hojo for what he did to you, and Seph, and me. And I hate myself for not being able to do anything, and I guess I'm angry at Seph for not doing anything either. But I don't hate you, and I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm sorry. You're the one who should hate me... come on, you can punch me for it?"

There was no answer to his words, no mercy for his begging tone, no appreciation for his attempt of humour. It reminded him very much of the few times he'd managed to really piss off Sephiroth, past the phase where it could still be worked out with just a few bruises. 'You sure know how to pick 'em, Zax...' the Soldier congratulated himself, 'And you sure know how to bend your foot all the way to your mouth...'

"Cloud?" He dared one more time after a long moment of silence, "I'm sorry... I guess we're both really tired right now... I didn't mean it. Please, shout at me, punch me, anything. Just not the silent treatment, ok? I never could cope with that one..."

When no answer came, Zax turned to get a good look at the backseat, to make Cloud look at him, to see

... that the blond was fast asleep. The Soldier thought Cloud was faking it at first, but he didn't believe anyone would voluntarily drool over themselves just to look convincing.

* * *

After giving Nanaki a brief report Cid started to toy with the radio, listening in on other people's conversations. The voices carried over the plane's noise to the backseat as only murmurs, which was soothing to listen to. Aeris yawned and moved to a more comfortable position, leaning her head on the backrest, away from the sun. Barret was staring morosely at the world far below them, his thoughts on Marlene and the little girl's safety. Listening to the continuous noises, knowing that she didn't have to worry about flying or landing this plane, Aeris felt her eyelids grow heavy, and soon she fell asleep.

She opened her eyes to see a forest around her. The sun, high above her head, shone through the holes in the forest's ceiling, and the light gave the place an eerie glow. Still, she recognized the place immediately.

It wasn't far from her childhood home in Icicle Inn. Her mother had taken her through here many times when she'd been a child, and she'd spent many days here alone after that.

"... It's the Sleeping forest..." she muttered to herself and smiled, realizing that she must be asleep. Even if the place wasn't real now, it was comfortable to be here, in a place she'd always felt at peace in. It was years now since she'd last been through here, in fact the last time was when she was returning home from the nearby city of the Ancients, only to find that Shin-Ra had captured her parents. Furious, she had followed them all the way to Midgar, where she'd eventually met the other members of Avalanche. It all seemed to be so long ago, but the forest was still as she remembered it.

"Of course it is, this is a dream..." she reminded herself and laughed when her words startled a small flock of birds into the air.

"Mind if I join it?"

Aeris almost jumped when a voice spoke quietly behind her, and whirled around. Her surprise melted into joy, though, when she saw a familiar face. "Mother!" She rushed towards the older woman, but Ifalna smiled and hid behind a tree, peeking out from the other side. Aeris stopped and laughed, bowing her head slightly.

"Of course you can join my silly dream, mom." Then her mood darkened. "You... heard about the Black Materia already, didn't you?"

Ifalna nodded, stepping out from behind the tree but keeping her distance. "Yes. But all hope's not lost yet, there's still a chance to stop Sephiroth." There was a greenish glow surrounding her. Aeris thought it was from Ifalna's connection to the Lifestream until she noticed its sickly hue.

"What can we do? Tell me, mother." She took a few steps towards Ifalna, feeling dread.

"We'll talk about it once you get back to Cosmo Canyon."

"All right." She wasn't completely convinced by her mother's words, but Ifalna was right, they could plan more easily once at the Canyon, with everyone else. Aeris sighed and shook her head, remembering something that she wouldn't be too comfortable talking about in front of the others. "Sephiroth, he's now... completely with her, isn't he? She stole him." Ifalna confirmed her words with a nod. "We know he wasn't a real Ancient, but still..."

They had talked about it a few times at the Canyon. Sephiroth wasn't a real Ancient, but Aeris and Ifalna had wondered if his blood would have been pure enough to strengthen their race.

"It was just an idea, but I still had hoped... oh it's no use to worry about it now... we have more important things to think about than getting little Cetras." Aeris winked at her mother and made the older woman laugh, even though it was a sad laugh.

"It should be the most important thing on our minds, but when the Planet is threatened this seriously, there really is no time for little ones until the catastrophe is averted."

"Until then, we just have to do our best, right?"

"... The hell are you doin'?"

"It won't be easy, but few things in life are, my child..." Ifalna grimaced as the green around her pulsated, growing stronger and enveloping her more tightly.

"Mother? What's wrong, are you in pain?!" Aeris reached out for her but she stepped away again.

"Taking us to Junon!"

"Mother!" Aeris called one more time before Ifalna and the whole forest disappeared from around her, the waking world disturbing her short rest.

"Why not Gongaga? We must be halfway over th' sea by now!"

"We're not! You wanna crash into the sea? I've tried it once, it's no picnic! We head to Junon, we can land on LAND and WALK to town, ok?"

"What's going on?" Aeris asked, sitting up and rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Both Barret and Cid turned to her, the pilot controlling the plane with one bootless foot.

"We're almost outta fuel, so I'm taking us to Junon for a refill!" Cid shouted, winking at her. There was a glint in his eyes Aeris didn't quite trust. Barret didn't seem to trust it either.

"You're plannin' somethin', I can tell..."

"Yeah, I'm planning how far I can fly this baby before we're all out! Trust me! It'll only add a few more hours to the trip, and what do you two care, you can sleep back there! I'm the one who has ta fly this thing!" Cid screamed, now half angry, but the glint didn't go out of his eyes for a second. Aeris leaned over the pilot's seat, to look at what she believed was the fuel gauge. It was fast approaching 'EMPTY', so whatever else Cid was planning, at least he was telling them the truth about the fuel.

"All right then, Cid. But please hurry..." Aeris said, sitting back and tightening her seatbelt. Cid gave her another wink and a thumbs up. The pilot turned back to the controls, chuckling to himself, if the shaking shoulders could be trusted.

Barret tightened his seatbelt as well and checked his gun-arm before leaning over to Aeris' side. "I'm tellin' ya, girl, I don't trust that grin..."

* * *

With Cloud fast asleep, Zax had started to toy with the radio and had caught Cid's message to Nanaki about taking a short trip to Junon on the way. The Soldier remembered then to check whether they had enough fuel as well. Lucky for him, the tank was only halfway through.

The sun had set a while ago, the landscape below them only shades of black and blue. They'd crossed the sea already, and Zax guessed they were somewhere above Gongaga by now. He tried to look for the small town, but with the reactor gone the telltale greenish glow of the Mako wasn't there anymore to show him the way home. If the end of the world was truly coming, he wouldn't have too many chances to go back.

It wouldn't be long now before the lights of the Canyon would appear in the horizon. The Tiny Bronco and the trio would get there in the morning, or afternoon, depending how much time they'd spend in Junon. Zax guessed that he and Cloud would have to answer a bunch of questions before they would be allowed to retire for the night. Cid had let Nanaki know that the Black Materia had been lost, but the pilot had told only the basics of the whole adventure.

The radio grew quiet soon, and the complete silence added to the surrounding darkness was starting to make Zax sleepy. He slapped himself a few times to remain awake, and was relieved when the Canyon finally came into view. He didn't have the heart to wake Cloud who was still sleeping soundly in his seat. Zax looked over his shoulder to check that the blond had his seatbelt on just before starting to land in the valley close to the town.

Cloud woke up only when the plane's wheels met the ground and the ride became bumpy.

"Hold on, Cloud, I just need to stop this baby, and we're home..." Zax said loud enough to be heard. The blond gave a quiet noise as an answer, and the Soldier had to chuckle. He had been kicking himself mentally for the words he'd said, and he was sure it would take a long time before Cloud would forgive him. If he ever would.

The blond wouldn't accept his help in getting out of the plane after they'd stopped, and Zax thought there'd be a large hole in the back of his shirt where Cloud stared angrily through the walk up the stairs.

The guards greeted them solemnly, and Tifa, Nanaki and Yuffie were at the top of the stairs, waiting for them. Cloud just walked past them, not saying one word, not even looking at the three. Zax stopped and shrugged, trying to grin nonchalantly. "Don't mind him, he's... in a really bad mood. If I'm lucky, he won't chop my head off..."

"What happened? Cid told us Sephiroth got the Black Materia, but he didn't say much else. The Elders, Professor Gast and Ifalna have been locked up in the observatory ever since!" Tifa said before Nanaki or Yuffie could get a word out.

Zax rubbed at his eyes and sighed, waving a hand to Elder Bugenhagen who was floating their way. "I know you all wanna know NOW what happened, but I haven't really slept since we left here, as I don't count getting hit by a tranq a proper night's sleep. The others will be here tomorrow morning, can't we leave it until then?"

"You got hit with a tranquilizer? When?" Yuffie butted in.

"Yeah, at the Saucer. And Cid woke me up with a cigarette. See?" The Soldier had to grin when he showed the ninja the small scar which had almost disappeared from sight already. Nanaki chuckled.

"Hum hoo. Welcome back, Zax. We just ended our planning for tonight. We decided to continue tomorrow, after you're all back. Go and rest for now." Bugenhagen said. He'd stopped next to his grandson, and rested one hand on Nanaki's wide shoulders. The large beast nodded.

"Grandfather's right. We'll all think better in the morning."

"Yeah. Hey how's Vincent?" Zax asked, stretching his back which popped loudly.

"No way, old man. You don't tell us what happened, we don't tell you what happened!"

"Yuffie!" Tifa nudged at the ninja playfully, and she turned her raspberry from Zax to the fighter.

"He's been behaving." Nanaki commented shortly, voice full of mirth.

"Hey it's only fair!" Yuffie argued when Tifa wished the Soldier a good night and started to drag the Wutaian towards the inn. Nanaki and Bugenhagen also wished him a good night, and Zax returned the words before turning warily towards home.

Maybe he could sleep at the inn? No. He wanted to work this out with Cloud, preferably before it grew completely out of proportion. He didn't particularly WANT to do it, but there weren't many choices.

"Come on, Soldier, you can do this... you've fucked up enough in the past, you have too many regrets, you don't need any more. And no matter what you feel for the kid, you can't let it end like this. So, get to it!

"Yes, sir!

"That's my boy, I'll see you get a medal for this if you don't fuck up... again!"

Even if his quiet monologue didn't exactly convince Zax that this was what he needed to do, it did make him giggle as he walked towards the long ladder. "I'm so tired... maybe I'll just fall asleep and drool on him... that's adorable, right? He'll HAVE to forgive me..." a chuckle. "Ohh Lindeman, you are SO screwed..."

He climbed the ladder slowly, really not knowing what would wait for him at the small house he'd called home for the past months. Maybe Cloud would chop his head off. Maybe he'd drop something on him while he was still climbing the ladder. Maybe he'd be sleeping already. Maybe he'd have the teakettle on... 'I really don't want to do this...' Zax thought and almost stopped. It would be so easy to climb back down and go to the inn. He could face Cloud in the morning. Except that he wouldn't dare it any more than he did now. And then the others would be here. They'd ask questions. They'd all want to know why he was avoiding Cloud.

Zax didn't realize that his tired body hadn't stopped after all, that he'd already reached the small plateau. The door ahead of him was closed, but yellow light streamed out through the thin curtain in front of the small window. Cloud was still up, or then he'd left the light on for him.

He didn't want to go in, but it was probably the promise of a soft bed that lured his body to the door. He really didn't want to go in, but he didn't want to leave Cloud alone to think that he hated him. He didn't know what he truly felt for the blond right now, but he certainly didn't hate him.

"All right, Lindeman, this is it. The biggest moment of your life. Don't screw it.

"Gee thanks, no pressure or anything..." Maybe Cloud would believe that this other personality he seemed to be developing had said all those things.

Zax peeked warily into the small kitchen/living area, and was relieved not to see Cloud waiting for him with a weapon. The curtain in front of the bedchamber's door opening was slightly open, perhaps to tell him to get in. Or to leave Cloud room to swing his weapon.

"Cloud? Are you still awake?" he called out quietly and closed the door behind him. Leaving the Buster-sword by the door he was relieved to see Cloud's sword leaning against a wall, and his gun on the table. When he looked back up, he saw the blond standing in the open portal to the bedroom. "Hey. Please listen. I'm so sorry for what I said, it all came out wrong. All I can say is I was really tired--"

Cloud lifted a hand swiftly before he could finish, and the Soldier fell quiet. The blond took a few steps toward him and finally looked up, locking eyes with the nervous man.

"You think that I only love you because of your feelings that were put into me. But that's not true. I don't know why, or how, but I do remember things and feelings from... before. And I remember... I KNOW... that I loved you. I wasn't sure it was love, then, as I'd never been in love, but when I felt your love for me, I realized it was the same. I do love you, for real. I can't help it. Maybe I'll get over it some day. I won't bother you anymore, but I wanted you to know." Cloud lifted his small bag to his shoulder and turned to retrieve his sword. Zax, still mulling over his words, took a while to realize the blond was leaving, and hurried to stop him.

"Hey where are you going?"

"Away. Don't worry about it. You won't have to see me again."

"But... but I want to see you again! I want to wake up next to you every morning. I want to talk with you, and be with you!"

"You hate me."

"I don't, Cloud, I don't!"

"It sounded like it on the plane..."

"I didn't mean it, I've told you that... look, to tell you the truth, I don't know if I love you the same as before, but I sure as hell don't hate you. I don't want to see you hurt, and I don't want to hurt you. Please, stay. Don't go."

Maybe it was the kicked puppy -look on Zax's face, or his pleading tone, or the fact that he had latched himself to Cloud's arm and anchored his feet to the floor, but Cloud did lower his bag and sword, and turned to look at the violet-eyed man. He opened his mouth to object, but the Soldier didn't give him a chance. Zax leaned forward quickly and pressed his lips to Cloud's. He loosened his death grip on the blond's arm and took a gentle hold on both arms instead, sliding his hands down. He pried open Cloud's fists so that the bag and the sword dropped completely to the floor, and pulled the palms up to his chest. He could feel Cloud's eyelashes on his cheeks as the blond blinked furiously, probably surprised by his mercurially changing moods.

Cloud didn't object when Zax started to guide him towards the bedroom. The Soldier didn't release his lips even when the backs of Cloud's legs bumped to the bed, and the blond almost lost his balance. Zax wrapped his arms quickly around him, then, and gently lowered him to the bed.

Cloud gasped when Zax finally pulled away from him, although not far. The Soldier pushed himself up on his arms, and looked down at the breathless blond.

"Well, now that I've got you where I want you..." Zax began with a wide, almost wicked grin, but sobered soon. "I'm sorry about earlier. Sometimes it's just hard for me to forget that you're... that I... well, you're getting another fine example of how to put your foot into your mouth!"

He was shushed by Cloud's hand suddenly covering his lips. "Zax... you think too much." The blond said, almost scolding. "Everything doesn't have to be so complicated. Let your heart decide, not your brain..."

"But..." Zax attempted to start when Cloud pulled his hand away, only to be muffled by it again.

"No buts. Don't listen to the brain, ok?"

Zax wondered where this side of Cloud had been hiding before, but guessed that it probably came from him. Sounded a lot like him, at least... he grinned behind the hand, and Cloud lowered it a bit.

"Done thinking yet?"

"Yes..." Zax grinned and lowered himself back on the smaller man, hiding his face between Cloud's shoulder and neck. It was a very warm and comfortable place to be, and smelled nice, too. He was surprised that only a few moments before he had been sure that the blond would kill him the minute he got in. And now they were this close! Cloud was right, though, he thought too much these days... five years back, he'd been pretty carefree, talking twice before thinking. Now, with no Sephiroth around to think for him, he'd somehow ended up taking his friend's role. It was a sobering thought, and he could feel Cloud stiffen beneath him.

"You're thinking again..."

"Sorry..." Zax muttered and rolled to his left side when Cloud moved to sit up. The blond shook his head once they weren't touching each other again.

"Don't be. It's not like there's much to be happy about right now..." Cloud kicked his shoes off and crawled to his side of the bed, near the wall. Zax rolled onto his back and, twisting his head upside down, followed the younger one with his violet eyes. "And I don't want to take anything from you that you're not ready to give."

Zax blinked. Was it just him or was everything completely upside down? Was Cloud telling him what he, in the normal world, should be telling the blond?

"If you don't know what you feel for me, it's ok. Sephiroth is going to crash a comet into the Planet, but I suppose there's time..."

Zax blinked again and laughed, rolling onto his stomach. "You know, you're starting to sound just like me."

"I know." Cloud said and smiled. Zax was relieved to see that at least the smile was Cloud's own, and he answered it with a genuine one. None of that fake shit he'd been pulling for the past months.

"Let's get some sleep, and tomorrow morning, we'll have a good, long chat over breakfast, ok? And, well as much as it's possible, spend the day together, just the two of us, ok?" Zax said and kicked his boots off, never letting the blond out of his sight. Cloud smiled again and nodded, and the Soldier was ready to swear that he even blushed a bit. "The destruction of the world and all that can wait one day for us..."

Cloud nodded seriously and yawned, making his way underneath the blankets he was sitting on. He curled up near the wall and was about to wish the Soldier a good night, when two strong arms made their way around his waist and pulled him against an equally strong chest. Zax's head found its place between his neck and shoulder again, and the Soldier sighed happily before whispering "Good night, Cloudy..."

"... Good night, Zax..." Cloud whispered back, ignoring the fact that both lights were still on in the apartment.

* * *

It was midnight, and Aeris and Barret were sitting together on a grassy field just outside Junon. The Tiny Bronco was a few hundred yards away, near a small patch of trees. Cid had gone alone to the military base town to look for fuel. He'd still had the strange glint in his eyes when he'd left. The two other members of the Avalanche didn't trust the glint, but trusted the man enough to believe that he would come back. If for nothing else, then for the Bronco.

"So... can you tell me what'll happen once the Meteor hits us?" Barret asked eventually, when the nearby city had quieted enough that they could clearly hear the crickets chirp. The sky above was almost cloudless, and the stars were bright.

"Death, fire and destruction, I guess..." Aeris muttered, twirling a blade of grass between her fingers. "It depends how big the meteor will be. In the worst case, it could even destroy the whole Planet."

"If the option's suffering under the lunatic god, I'd call that the best case scenario." The leader of Avalanche muttered gloomily. "Those damned Turks... they better let Marlene and Shera go."

"Well, we still have a chance to stop Sephiroth. I doubt he'll have enough spiritual power to summon the Meteor straight away. There's still time."

"Yeah. Once we're outta here, we'll go to the Canyon and head straight to the Northern Crater. We'll stop the bastard."

Aeris smiled at Barret's words. His tone made it clear that he wouldn't accept failure on this. "Let's hope so. I still wish we could have kept the Black Materia in the first place."

"He could control Cloud. We couldn't stop the brat from givin' him the Materia, no matter what we could've done." He shrugged and once again checked that his gun-arm was loaded.

"I almost managed to stop Cloud. But Sephiroth had a stronger hold on him." Aeris sighed and leaned her chin on her knees. Her thoughts flew back to the Temple and the fight for the Black Materia. "I wonder if we'll ever get to see Cait Sith again... or talk to Reeve. We don't have any way to find out what Shin-Ra's..."

Barret turned to look at the pink-clad girl when she fell quiet so suddenly. "What's wrong? You see somethin'?"

Aeris shook her head. "No. I just realized something..." she lifted a hand to her mouth, "... Mother told us to take Cloud with us. She... she knew of the traps, about the puzzle. She meant for us to... to make Cloud solve them. Just like Sephiroth."

"... Are you sure?" Barret asked.

"Oh... yes. When... when I think about it... it would have given us the Black Materia, and Cloud would have been destroyed. We would have gotten the Materia and avoided the threat that he poses, as Sephiroth's... servant. She was ready to sacrifice him."

"But... I mean, Cait offered to come, too. She'da realized the robot can be used..."

"Yes, but Cait volunteered to come only after you'd agreed to take Cloud with us... oh, mother! Why do we have to live in a world where my mother, the kindest person I've ever known, would knowingly sacrifice another living being..."

Barret didn't have an answer. He just shook his head and checked his gun again.

They didn't talk much after that, only watched their surroundings for possible enemies and Cid's return. The moon above them climbed higher, hidden momentarily behind a small cloud. It was at least three hours since Cid had left. More than enough time to get into Junon, get some gas and get out.

"If Highwind's not here in half an hour, we're leaving." Barret had said. That was an hour ago. Half an hour ago Aeris had asked that they wait another half an hour. The time was almost up when she tilted her head, listening.

"Do you hear that?"

Barret looked up and nodded after a moment. "Yeah. Sounds like a big plane. Close by."

"I think we should hide." Aeris said, peering at the sky.

"Yeah. Into da trees." Barret stood and yanked the flower girl up. They retreated quickly to the nearby stretch of forest while the humming sound of an aircraft grew louder.

"Oh no. You don't think Cid got caught, and Shin-Ra's looking for us now?" Aeris whispered, looking up through the leaves.

"Dunno. Might just be some passenger plane."

The sound grew louder and louder, and soon they could see a large airship coming from Junon's direction, and straight towards them. When it was about a hundred yards closer, a few search lights were turned on, and they started to sweep the grassy lands.

"Shit. They're after us. Get ready to run, girl..." Barret muttered, checking his gun-arm. Aeris clutched her staff with both hands, getting ready to fight.

The airship slowed its pace to almost a stop. Barret swore when the search light passed straight over, momentarily blinding them. Aeris started to ready her spells, but stopped and squinted when something was dropped from the ship's deck.

"What is that... ropes?!"

A few ropes unraveled towards the ground. Barret aimed his gun at them, expecting the enemy to come down any moment. But the ropes had hooks at their ends, and no one came down. The ship was so close now the sound was almost deafening.

"What the hell?!" Barret roared when they saw that the ship was stopping just above the Tiny Bronco, and that the hooks were guided to grab the small plane. Aeris grabbed his arm then, and pointed at the ship.

"Is that a ladder?!"

A rope ladder had been dropped, the last bar almost touching ground. Barret swore again, ready to start shooting, but Aeris held him back when she heard something over the ship's noise.

"Is your PHS ringing?!"

* * *

"... Nnngh..." Cloud frowned at the sudden headache before he was even completely awake. He opened his eyes carefully and took a while to take in his surroundings.

He was back home, in Cosmo Canyon. In bed, with Zax. But this time they weren't sleeping on different sides of the bed, as far from each other as possible. This time he was curled up in the Soldier's arms, one blanket covering them both. It felt good. It felt really, really good, no matter how upset he'd been with Zax only a few hours ago. Zax didn't love him, but he didn't hate him either. It was a start.

Another wave of a headache hit him then, and the blond squeezed his eyes shut. "All right, all right..." he muttered and carefully slid the blanket off himself, and began to untangle from Zax's arms. Luckily the Soldier was sleeping soundly after the last few days, and barely stirred when Cloud got out of bed.

Something, or rather someone, was calling him again. He realized that he was being manipulated, but whoever it was, he or she was doing it quite gently. The blond pulled on his socks and shoes, he had been sleeping with his other clothes on, and slid out of the bedroom. He grabbed his gun from the table and left the house, not wanting to make his caller wait and have a reason to give him another headache.

Someone was already waiting for him, in the shadows at the bottom of the ladder. The blond took a step back when his caller stepped closer.

"I'm sorry to wake you like this, Cloud, but I need you to help me with something..." Ifalna said and smiled gently at the blond, taking his arm. Cloud shrugged and followed her.

-

* * *

A.N: This chapter was coming out slowly but surely, until Zax and Cloud began to fight in the plane. After writing that scene again and again, the chapter just seemed to go on and on and on... And Cid's line about marrying into ultimate power was borrowed from Manui & Adams' Yamara-comic.

...: Sephiroth and Aeris? No no no... no matter what Aeris says in this chapter! :) Sephiroth is now more Jenova than himself. She might have some ideas about 'offspring', but she was more messing with Aeris than seriously wooing her... :) Thanks for the comment, got me to write a lot! :D Which is always good...

Personally, I didn't like this chapter much... how about you? :) I love each and every review, but it would rock to get more than one per chapter... :3

One more thing... Vincenty goodness in the next chapter!! ;)


	35. 2, Chapter Seventeen

WARNING!! The hints of shounen-ai from last chapter have grown, and are now rampaging teenagers. Also, some graphic violence-stuff ahead. I don't own anyone or any place in this story, but I wouldn't say no if Square decided to give Cloud to me. I'd take good care of him, I promise!

And thank you, thank you for the reviews! :D Here, have a free Vincent! Now I must run before those pesky lawyers find me...

* * *

**Chapter seventeen: Death and life are just two different sides of the same coin**

-

Vincent suspected it was morning when he woke up, even though he couldn't hear a sound from the next room. A thin sliver of light shone from underneath the door but he couldn't tell whether it was daylight or artificial light. He had dreamed of pain and sorrow, like on most nights and days, whenever he slept. The demons were now kept out of the waking world, but in his sleep they came, mocking and torturing.

Last night there had been something else, as well. He could vaguely remember a tugging feeling, like someone had been trying to pull him up and out of bed. He had reached for it, but it had slipped just out of his reach, and he had fallen back to his usual dreams. Now it started to worry him slightly. Had it been Chaos, trying to get out? Or Hojo, reaching out for him?

The ex-Turk got out of bed and moved quietly to the door, all the time listening for any noises. He pressed his ear against the wood but there was no sound to be heard. He couldn't even feel anyone near the door. Weren't they watching him anymore?

He lifted his left hand and grabbed the door's handle, too curious to even remember how much using the hand had previously hurt. The door wasn't locked. Vincent wondered for a moment if opening the door would break the trust the Elders, Professor Gast and his wife had in him, but it wasn't in his nature, in any Turk's nature, to remain captive if the chance to free yourself was presented.

The room beyond was empty. They weren't watching him. He had previously only caught glimpses of the room through the open door, so he wasn't sure how to get out of the building. But there were only two other doors along the walls, and a ladder leading up. He could get out easily. One door was next to this one, probably leading to another room. So the other one would get him out. But now that he was out of his small room he could hear quiet voices, coming from the floor above. Frowning, Vincent glanced at the way out, but turned towards the ladder and made his way to it.

The voices became louder when he got nearer, and he could recognize most of them once he was close enough to peer up through the hole in the ceiling. Professor Gast was sounding near panic, and Zax's voice wasn't much calmer. Elder Bugenhagen was trying to talk sense to both of them. There were others up there, but their voices were only a murmur to him.

A few voices of old men, other Elders, he guessed, closest to the open portal at the top of the ladder. Vincent could clearly hear their words. They talked about a White Materia, which would obviously be the one to counter the Black one. Professor Gast interrupted them then, silencing everyone in the room.

"We should have found another way! It's not too late yet! I've told you again and again, there has to be something we can do!"

Silence fell after his words and Vincent realized he'd lifted his left hand to one of the ladder's bars. He removed it immediately and stepped back, almost unconsciously rubbing the left palm with his right hand.

"But there's no way to reach them until Cid gets here with the Tiny Bronco..." Tifa's gentle voice rose, her tone calm. "As soon as they get here, we'll leave. Please, Professor, try to calm down for now."

"Easy for you to say..." Zax said and Vincent could hear heavy steps. Perhaps the Soldier was pacing around the room.

What was going on? Why were Gast and Zax so agitated? When had the Soldier returned, and who couldn't they reach? Where were they leaving to? There were too many unanswered questions to Vincent's liking, and no other obvious way to get them answered than to reveal that he had left his 'cell' and eavesdropped on those who wished to help him.

Being a Turk required being very observant of your surroundings, all the time. And Hojo's meddling had only enhanced his hearing and other senses. But apparently, Vincent noticed, that wasn't always enough. He heard something else moving up there, but didn't have time to react, not even shout, when a few hundred pounds of muscle in red fur jumped from the top of the ladder and landed on him, pinning him firmly -and painfully!- to the floor and knocking the wind out of him.

"What are you doing?" a low voice growled to his ear as Vincent struggled to get air into his lungs. He heard rushed steps and shouts from above, and through the stars of pain he could see several curious faces peering down at him through the hole in the ceiling.

"Nanaki?" Bugenhagen called out and floated down next to his grandson. The large beast turned to him.

"He was listening us. Maybe spying."

There wasn't enough air in his lungs for Vincent to answer, but he shook his head quickly.

"Now, now, Nanaki, let him up." Bugenhagen said with a chuckle, and Nanaki grudgingly obeyed. Vincent was very grateful but decided to remain on the floor until his lungs worked again.

"Now Mr. Valentine, what were you doing?" the Elder asked once they were all upstairs again, Vincent included. He'd made a quick survey of the room as soon as he'd gotten up there. Bugenhagen was there, and three other Elders. Nanaki, Tifa and Yuffie were present, as were Professor Gast and Zax, who both seemed as nervous as they had sounded. He was both relieved and worried to see that Cloud wasn't there. Neither was Gast's wife.

"I woke up," he told truthfully, "and couldn't hear or see anyone. So I came looking for you."

"Are you sure you weren't trying to escape?" Nanaki said, still eyeing him suspiciously.

"If I would have liked to escape, it wouldn't only have been an attempt. But as it is, I don't have my clothes and I am unarmed. I merely came looking for someone, and heard your voices." Vincent looked down at the t-shirt and boxers he was wearing. Other than those, he was naked. The others followed his gaze, he could feel their eyes on his pale skin. The ninja girl was all out staring at him, and not even attempting to hide it. Two of the Elders were giving him curious, half worried looks whereas Bugenhagen seemed merely curious.

"You couldn't even hear your demons, then?" the Elder asked, but Gast snapped before the ex-Turk could answer.

"There's no time for this kind of chatter, we have to find Ifalna before it's too late!"

So she was missing. "And where's Cloud?" Vincent turned to Zax, who shrugged and ran a hand through his thick hair.

"With Ifalna, we think. They were both missing this morning. And so's the plane we flew here from the Temple."

"Where would they have gone with it?" he'd let them tell the story, even though he could already guess what was happening. She was going to counter the Black Materia with the white one. Gast had been against it before, and he clearly was against it still.

"To the City of the Ancients," Bugenhagen answered, "to try and stop Sephiroth from injuring the Planet."

"Grandfather! Does he really need to know?" Nanaki growled, turning his good eye to the old man.

"He's as much a dweller of this Planet as the rest of us. He has a right to know."

Gast buried his face in his palms and fell to a crouch on the floor. "But... there has to be another way. The price is too high, too high... what am I going to tell Aeris?"

The room fell silent. Obviously Vincent was the only one who didn't know what the price was they'd have to pay. He was about to ask but Zax, who was standing slightly behind him, shook his head quickly.

"Come on, Vinnie, let's get you something to eat, ok?" the Soldier muttered and grabbed his upper arm tightly. "We might as well search for some clothes, too. Personally, I don't mind looking at your long, naked legs, but the way Nanaki's eyeing you I fear he'll try to take a bite soon..."

Vincent could only follow him back down to the larger room. Tifa, Yuffie and Nanaki soon joined them, leaving the Elders and Professor Gast conversing with each other.

"So what is this 'high price' Gast is so afraid of?" Vincent asked quietly when Zax went through the large fridge near the ladder. The Soldier looked quickly up, gave Vincent a plate with two sandwiches and pulled him farther from the ladder.

"Apparently Ifalna has something we can counter the Black Materia with, but using it might cost her her life. Gast didn't want her to try it, but she took off without telling him. With Cloud." Zax's expression turned sour and worried. "I didn't even notice him leave, I was so tired I slept like a log. Shit."

"Why the... City of the Ancients?"

"More spiritual power." To the ex-Turk's surprise, it was Nanaki who answered his question.

"And you're leaving after them once Highwind returns..." Vincent continued, eyeing the sandwiches suspiciously. He wasn't really hungry, he didn't seem to have much of an appetite these days. Or any day in the last thirty-or-so years...

"Yeah, well as many of us who can fit in that small, crickety plane he has. People around here seem to prefer cars." Zax said.

"It's hard to land in the Canyon, or so I'm told..." Nanaki commented as he sat down near the door to Vincent's room. "Walking is kindest to the nature."

"And slloooowwww..." Zax stretched the word, making Yuffie laugh and Tifa smile. Nanaki shook his head at the Soldier.

"Not with four legs, my friend."

"Does Aeris know about any of this?" Vincent suddenly asked, remembering what Ifalna had once asked him. The simple question caused everyone to turn and stare at him like he'd just grown another head. The ex-Turk blinked a few times, lifting one black eyebrow. "What?"

"What do you care about it?" Nanaki asked, clearly distrusting him again.

Vincent shrugged, lowering the plate on a table. "She's been kind to me."

"She doesn't know yet. We haven't risked trying to reach them with the radio, since Shin-Ra might be listening." Tifa answered him, earning a surprised look from the red beast. "We don't know what they're up to, now that we can't reach Reeve anymore, and we don't want to give them any information either."

"Smart." Vincent nodded and gave the sandwiches another look. They still didn't look too appetizing.

The radio rattled into life right about then, breaking the silence that had fallen into the room.

/"Yo! Anyone there?!/

Yuffie beat the others to the device and picked up the mouthpiece. "About time, Granpa! Where are you guys?"

Surprisingly enough, Cid didn't answer her with any kind of profanity or insult. Instead, the man laughed. /"Line your asses outside and look to the eastern skies, my friends! And thou shall see!"/

"... Is he drunk?!" Tifa asked when the radio fell silent again. Yuffie and Zax were already at the door, and the Elders and Gast were coming down, asking if that had been Highwind. Vincent took a few steps towards the door as well, but was stopped by Nanaki who growled quietly at him.

"Now now, Nanaki, let him come as well..." Bugenhagen said as Gast hurried past them. The beast glared at Vincent once more and walked out. "He's a bit suspicious, but a good boy. Come now, let's see what Captain Highwind is so thrilled about."

Vincent followed the floating Elder outside, where the others were already standing and staring into the east. Yuffie was complaining she couldn't see anything but clouds, and Zax was wondering out loud what they were supposed to see. Vincent wondered it as well. Highwind had sounded pleased, too pleased for someone who had just lost the Planet's future to a madman. Even if the man didn't know what was waiting for them here, there was no reason to-

Be so...

Happy.

The plane that sailed through the clouds towards them in the horizon clearly wasn't Tiny Bronco.

First of all, it wasn't pink. Second, it was larger. Much larger. It was shining in the sun as if it was made of liquid silver, and it traveled fast towards them. Vincent could see that all around him mouths and eyes were wide open, and he could hear surprised and admiring shouts from the lower levels of the town. He shut his own mouth quickly before anyone could see how completely he'd been surprised.

At the bow of the ship, a small figure dressed in pink was standing and waving at them. Vincent could hear Gast let out a strangled noise as the man took off towards the lower levels. Yuffie followed him, screaming with delight. Tifa and Nanaki weren't far behind her. Vincent was going to stay here, far above everything, but Zax grabbed his arm again and pulled the ex-Turk along.

"Wait, I'm not--" he tried to gesture at his bare feet but Zax wasn't listening.

"You're coming. Hurry up now, the sooner we get there the sooner we can leave!"

During the recklessly fast descend to the plate and down the stairs to the canyon itself, Vincent caught glimpses of the airship, also descending to the ground. It raised a large cloud of dust which was only starting to disappear when they reached the ship. Aeris was already descending the rope ladder from the deck, and as soon as her feet touched ground she was caught in a tight hug by her father. Vincent and Zax were still too far to hear what was said, but when they reached the others the flower girl looked worried and anxious.

For the next hour or so, Vincent felt like he was a child, by the way he was ordered around and told to put some clothes on. Everyone around him was in a hurry, and he seemed to be only in the way.

Nanaki made it perfectly clear that he was taken along only because the beast didn't trust him enough to leave him at the Cosmo Canyon. Still, he couldn't help but wonder if Ifalna had somehow seen this happening, or caused this, when he remembered her asking that he'd look after Aeris. It was definitely a pure coincidence, at least from his side, that he found himself standing right in the girl's vicinity once they were on the way to the north.

Everything had been quickly explained to Aeris, Barret and Cid, and even though the three hadn't had much sleep the night before they decided to take off straight away. There was enough space for all the members of Avalanche, Professor Gast and Zax, and that was just the cockpit! The Elders stayed at the Canyon, but wished them all the luck.

Highwind seemed so proud and pleased with himself, standing just behind the ship's pilot, giving him orders and advice. He seemed right at home. Vincent was curious, although not as curious as the others, to hear how exactly the blond man had managed to grab the airship from 'right under Shin-Ra's goddamned noses!', as he put it himself.

From his spot near Aeris, Vincent could easily listen in on her and Gast's quiet conversation, and at the same time hear Highwind's seemingly tall tale of 'takin' back what's rightfully mine!'.

"Ya know, I had ta lie a little... we were closer to Gongaga, but I just had ta try! Shin-Ra are fools, all o' them! Talkin' openly in a public channel, tellin' the whole world that they have MY Highwind parked neatly in Junon, with Scarlet-the-Harlot and half the crew in a freakin' BALL! What they think this is, a TAXI?! No way! It's a first class airship, the one and only Highwind there is! Besides yours truly, of course!"

Cid seemed to be the only cheery person aboard, but his chatter was clearly helping the others relax. He'd claimed that it would take only a few hours to get to the northernmost continent, and that the smaller plane couldn't have reached it too long ago. It had given Gast and Aeris some hope, and Zax had calmed down as well.

"So, I took the canister and headed off to town. The minute I got to the rich side I could see her parked there, all alone in the middle of stinkin' Shin-Ra ships! And with only one guard! I knocked the guy out with the canister and shoved him in the sewer." Aeris glared at him at that, but the blond just shrugged it off and continued. "It was a piece of cake gettin' in after that, no more guards, just some of the crew, and most of them I knew from before! Shin-Ra might have kidnapped my baby, but they were smart enough to keep the people who could fly her! It wasn't too hard to convince them to screw Shin-Ra, actually they were happy to break free! So we arranged a little mutiny, caught all the Shin-Ra dogs aboard, tied them up and left them neatly on the dock, to wait for Scarlet and the rest of her merry band!

"Then we just took off, picked up the Bronco and those two jokers, and headed off to the sunset! Well, the Canyon. I can't tell you guys how happy I am to have my baby back..." Cid actually petted the closest surface he could reach, cooing at it. Then his smile fell quickly, and he turned to Barret. "Eh, sorry, man..."

"It's ok." The leader of Avalanche waved the apology away.

"You know, now we have the Highwind, and after we get those two back, we can go to Midgar and get Marlene and Shera outta there. Bomb the HQ afterwards... he he, that would be so great..." Cid rubbed his hands together before clapping the pilot on the shoulder and paying attention to where they were going again.

"You know, I think he's lost a few of his marbles..." Zax muttered suddenly to Vincent, who almost jumped. He hadn't noticed at all that the Soldier had walked to his side.

"What?"

"Knitting with only one needle, our Cid is... listen, I need to talk with you. In private." Zax didn't wait for an answer, just took him by the arm again and pulled Vincent to a quieter corner. They were all in the airship's large cockpit, except for Yuffie who had fallen motion sick and was getting some fresh air up on deck.

"What is it?" Vincent asked when the Soldier stopped, out of the other's hearing distance. Zax lifted a hand to rub at his neck, clearly not happy about what he was about to say. Vincent could feel his mood drop, not that his spirits had been that high to begin with.

"Uh, it's about Sephiroth... you're... his father, right?"

Vincent was expecting a punch in the stomach, and received a slap in the face. "What?"

"I mean, that's what Cloud told Seph. That you're his real father. Not Hojo. It's true, right?"

"... Yes, it is."

"Well it's kinda obvious, looking at you..." Zax tried to smile but it slipped quickly from his lips. "Anyway... shit, there's no easy way to say this..."

"Say it anyway."

"Well... he's... looks like Jenova's got him. Completely. He's not himself anymore. And... we may have to kill him, to save the Planet."

"I'd guessed as much..." Vincent said when the Soldier ended his awkward words.

"I mean, I still want to try an' talk to him, but if last time's anything to go by, there's nothing else we can do. Seph, the real Sephiroth, is as good as dead if Jenova's got him."

"... And we'd be doing him a favor by killing him?" Vincent looked past the Soldier, all the way out of the large windows, to the blue and cloudy sky. He still saw Zax nod after a moment.

"He wouldn't want to live like that. He was a good man, before all this shit. Probably got that from you, since Hojo couldn't produce anything kind and decent."

Vincent felt slapped again, but there was also a warm feeling inside his chest. His son had been a good man. That was something. "I think he got it from his mother. She was a kind and beautiful woman. What makes you think I am a good man?"

Zax shrugged. "Well you helped Cloudy, got him out of Hojo's hands. And even with Hojo fuckin' you up and the demons in your head, you're a good guy."

Vincent didn't completely believe that he had earned the compliments, considering that what he thought to be a 'good man' wouldn't let the love of his life die or his only child be taken away and brought up to be a planet-threatening madman. He still nodded as a thank-you, not wanting to turn the proverbial knife in the wound by asking what Zax thought of Cloud, then, if Hojo couldn't produce anything kind and decent.

They left the conversation at that, and Vincent returned to his earlier spot while Zax left for the deck. He pretended to be looking at the nearby controls while listening in on Aeris and her father.

"But father, there's no danger in summoning Holy to stop the Meteor... mother knows that. Why are you so worried? Holy will surely answer her, and Sephiroth won't be able to hurt the Planet." Aeris seemed far more relaxed, even hopeful now that she knew what her mother was doing. It didn't make sense to Vincent, considering how worried her father was.

"Aeris, dear... there's something you should know... something we should have told you... about the White Materia, and your mother." Gast clearly didn't want to continue, but now Aeris was worried again.

"Father? What is it?"

"The Materia... it requires great spiritual power to summon Holy, just as it is with the Meteor. I don't doubt that your mother has that, but... they are very powerful summons, both. They'll cost very much to summon."

"I know that, father. But mother is strong, even Hojo couldn't harm her. It's not very likely that the summoning will harm her much..." Aeris had a look in her eyes that told Vincent that she tried very much to make herself believe that as well. But Gast shook his head and ran a shaky hand over his brow.

"No, dear... there's more to it than that. We... there was so much going on, and I admit, we didn't want to think about it ourselves. But Hojo did manage to hurt your mother. Quite badly, I'm afraid."

Vincent could remember the Professor's earlier "... What am I going to tell Aeris?", and understood the words now. He was still pretending he wasn't hearing any of this, but it became hard when Aeris almost shouted her next words.

"What? Why didn't you tell me?"

"You had so much else on your mind, and we still hadn't figured what exactly Hojo had done to her--"

"You still should have told me! Father! I could have prayed for Holy! I know I'm not as strong as mother is, but I could have done it!"

"I know, dear, and I told her so! But she was adamant that if it came to that, she'd be the one to pray for it."

"But why? ... This isn't making any sense to me..." Aeris seemed so hopeless when her father enveloped her in a hug.

"I know, dear..." Gast repeated his earlier words and held her tight, "I don't understand either..."

Vincent felt a pang of guilt, even though he couldn't be blamed for this. Except that Sephiroth was the reason for her sorrow, and he was Sephiroth's father. But it wasn't his son anymore who was doing this.

But he could make it right, still. He could help them get rid of the impostor pretending to be his son. He could think of it as the last, or the only, favour he could give his child.

* * *

With Cid's story told, the rest of the trip was quiet and long. Zax had soon returned and annoyed Cid to the brink of murder with unending questions of "Are we there yet?" Vincent was ready to hurt the Soldier himself, but couldn't find the energy to truly care. He hoped this would all end soon and that his son would die quickly and as painlessly as possible.

Zax seemed to be the only one who knew of his relation to the ex-General. Highwind and the leader of Avalanche had plotted together for half of the trip how to best destroy 'that son of a bitch'. The Soldier was the only one to give him apologetic looks.

"Just remember, it's not Seph they talk about, it's Jenova..." Zax muttered at one point, when his nervous pacing brought the dark-haired man to the ex-Turk. Vincent had just nodded and continued to watch out the windows.

Mountains had turned to desert, desert to sea and the sea to snow underneath them. Aeris and Gast had guided them towards the City of the Ancients, and were now conversing with Cid on where they could land the large airship. The Professor was worried that they'd have to land far from the City itself, but his daughter was certain they could get right next to it when Cid assured them that the Highwind could hover in the air while they'd use the rope ladders to get to the ground.

"There. The Sleeping Forest. We're almost there." Aeris probably saved Zax's life as Cid was already looking for his spear after the last 'Are we there yet?' Everyone rushed to the windows, except for the men flying the ship.

Below them was a large forest, the leaves glittering green when the sun peeked out from behind the clouds. A flock of small birds were startled into flight by their passing. The belly of the ship was only a few feet above the tallest trees.

"Don't let the forest fool you, it's really a dangerous place..." the pink-clad girl told them. She was looking into the horizon, trying to see their goal. Vincent followed her gaze and saw mountains in the distance. The forest would end soon enough, but there was a large area between the forest and the mountains. He just couldn't see it yet. From Aeris' anxiety he guessed that that was where they were heading.

"Cid? Please hurry. I feel there's something wrong..." Aeris whispered suddenly, her green eyes large with fear. Professor Gast was immediately by her side, his hands on her shoulders.

"What is it? Is it your mother?"

Aeris just nodded and gripped the railing by the windows tighter, her knuckles turning white.

Soon enough they were past the forest and could see the City of the Ancients. Aeris guided them to land in a ravine between the stretches of forest, guided by the mountains around. She was first on the ladder, and she was running towards one of the houses as soon as her feet touched the ground. Gast was next, and Zax right after him. The Soldier didn't even wait for the Professor to reach the ground before he jumped off the ladder and ran after Aeris, pulling his sword out of its sheath. The others followed as fast as they could, even Vincent. The wrongness, the danger Aeris had felt could very well be his son. Maybe this would all be over before sunset.

They followed Aeris down a long, straight road until they came to a strange house, surrounded by leafless trees. The light of the sun pushed through the petrified branches and illuminated the house and a small pond beside it. They ran into the house, and down a circling, crystal staircase. By the time Vincent reached the top he could see Aeris and Zax at the bottom, Gast not far behind them. They were still running, towards a stony structure protected by high slabs of the same crystal as the stairs. Aeris was shouting for her mother, and her voice echoed in the darkness that stretched who knew how far around them. The only lights were from the world above, and from the crystal structure itself.

Vincent had passed most of the others with his long legs. Only Nanaki was between him and Professor Gast, who had already reached the bottom of the long staircase when Aeris screamed wordlessly. The great beast ahead of him took the last twenty or so stairs with one jump and ran around a small gazebo-like structure towards her voice. Vincent picked up his pace and jumped the last stairs, hearing the out of breath questions of what was going on from behind him. He circled the small gazebo as well and almost missed the small staircase to the lower lever in his rush.

Aeris, Zax, Professor Gast and Nanaki were standing on a large slab of stone, another small flight of stairs below Vincent. They were all staring towards a raised pedestal of stone, surrounded by a circular pond of clear water. The ex-Turk descended the last steps more slowly, already seeing what had stopped the others.

Slumped on the pedestal was a body. Blood painted the stone a dark red, and thin streams of it had made their way down to the stairs towards the slab where the horrified spectators stood. Something tall, thin and glittering stood up from the body's back. Vincent swore under his breath when he recognized Sephiroth's sword. He swore even more when the rest caught up with him, and he spotted the other person on the pedestal.

Cloud was there, with Ifalna's corpse. He could see the blond shaking the woman by the shoulders from time to time, and could imagine the frantic whispers, Cloud begging that the woman say something. At least he hoped for that.

Gast was about to go to his wife, then, but Zax stopped him with a gentle hand. Vincent hurried towards them to hear better.

* * *

"Please. Let me go first. It might not be safe..." Zax muttered to the Professor, holding him gently by the arm. The older man sobbed, his face streamed with tears. "You take care of Aeris."

The Soldier, still holding his sword, stepped to the first stone pillar leading to the round pedestal while Gast enveloped his daughter in a tight hug. Zax half hoped that Sephiroth would be far from here by now, but not knowing his old friend's new mind, he couldn't be sure that the crazy man hadn't stayed around to see the reactions to his work. He also wanted to get Cloud away from the dead woman as soon as possible.

He jumped quickly from pillar to pillar, slowing only when he reached the small staircase to the pedestal itself. Now he could hear Cloud's voice, the blond desperately trying to wake the woman.

Zax quickly checked their surroundings, and once he was convinced that no one would attack them right now, he kneeled beside Ifalna and Cloud, not minding that the knee of his trousers was immediately soaked in blood. He pressed two fingers to the woman's neck, and found no pulse, only cold skin.

"Zax? Please, help her..." Cloud begged. The Soldier turned to look at him and swallowed hard to keep both tears and nausea down.

Ifalna had bled a lot, there was a puddle around her, it soaked her otherwise clean clothes and tidily combed hair. Cloud was also covered in blood, it was all over his hands, face and shirt, and legs from kneeling beside the corpse. Zax shook his head and forced himself to look at the woman more closely, at her hands, neck and face. He didn't want Aeris and Gast coming to see her and notice that parts of her were missing. But apparently all the blood on Cloud had gotten there only by him trying to wake the woman.

He stood again, doing his best to ignore the sticky, wet feeling on the knee of his pants. Glancing quickly over his shoulder, he reached out and grabbed the Masamune. Black humour getting the better of him, he had to wonder how many swords Sephiroth had when he kept leaving them into people's backs so often. Trying to ignore the sensation of steel scraping against bone and muscle and flesh, he pulled the sword out and lowered it on the ground. It would be easier for Aeris and Gast to see her.

"Shh, Cloud, calm down... she's gone, there's nothing we can do." The Soldier whispered and held out a hand to the blond. Cloud wiped his eyes with a bloody hand, managing to smear his face even more.

"But... but we have to do something, mother... she's..." Cloud stared at Ifalna for a moment and shook his head. Then he looked at her again. "Umh, I mean... we have to do something!"

"It's too late, Cloud. Come on now." Zax had almost bit a part of his tongue off at hearing Cloud's words. He was glad that he was the only one who heard them. He reached out again, and this time the blond took the offered hand and let Zax pull him to his feet. "Can you tell me what happened?"

"She was praying, and I was with her, and then Sephiroth was suddenly here and... she was dead. I tried to wake her up, tried to say I'm sorry, but she wouldn't wake up again." Cloud explained quietly, glancing over his shoulder as Zax guided him down the stairs and towards the pillars.

"Sorry? What were you sorry for?" Zax forced himself to ask the question, fearing the possible answer. Sephiroth, no, Jenova could still manipulate Cloud.

"Because... I couldn't keep her safe. She asked that I'd keep an eye out for her, and she died anyway..." Cloud explained, quickly lowering his eyes when they reached the stone slab and Professor Gast tried to catch his eyes.

The Professor gently let go of Aeris who was still crying, and stepped to the first pillar towards his dead wife. Zax quickly guided the bloodied Cloud a bit away from the others, but still saw the surprised look on Vincent's face when Aeris threw her arms around the closest person, who just happened to be the ex-Turk.

* * *

They had buried Ifalna in a nearby pond. Gast had carried her body almost to the middle of the clear water and let her sink to the bottom. It had made almost everyone cry, even Cid had wiped his eyes when he thought no one was watching. Vincent had been a bit preoccupied to be completely taken by the sorrowful atmosphere, as Aeris had continued to cling to his arm for most of the time, crying silently. She had let him go only when they had all returned to the airship, and she and her father had retreated to one of the cabins. Some of the others had held a quick meeting and decided to stay there for the rest of the day and take off in the morning. Whether they'd return to Cosmo Canyon or search for Sephiroth was still open.

Vincent wasn't quite sure how long had passed since they'd returned to the airship, but suddenly he found himself standing alone on the ship's lower deck, near the walkway to the cockpit. Apparently even Nanaki had forgotten to look after him for a while. Not that he was going anywhere, weaponless and quite sure that he didn't know how to get out of the area by foot. By the summons, he'd become pitiful! Vincent could remember how he'd been practically fearless back in his Turk days. He wouldn't have waited for permission from anyone, he would have walked out of the ship, made himself a weapon and walked until he'd reach civilization again. He wouldn't have been weaponless on an airship in the first place!

Now he just sighed and started to walk towards the cockpit.

Cid and his crew were there, enjoying a few selected alcoholic beverages and laughing at something on the radio.

"Damn it but those Shin-Ra wussies are a bunch o' morons!" The pilot shouted and laughed, slapping his knee repeatedly. The line was too static and the radio too far for Vincent to tell what was going on, but he could make out several different voices bickering across the radiowaves. Probably Shin-Ra's hounds barking after the Highwind. He could imagine that losing such a prize was a hard hit on the company's pride.

With another sigh Vincent turned on his heels and returned to the deck. From there he wandered towards where the cabins were. He wasn't lonely, he wouldn't admit that. And he was sure no one would welcome him in their company, even if he was lonely. Which he wasn't. He was just wondering where everyone had got to.

And he wasn't pressing his ear to each door to listen in. He just wanted to know who was where.

Most of the cabins were empty, though. He could hear Aeris weeping and her father murmuring something behind one door, and something clicking behind another. There was a sound of running water behind one door with the sign for shower on it. The sound stopped almost as soon as Vincent got to the door so he hurried along the long corridor. Not far, though, he wanted to see who'd come out.

Soon the door opened, and the ex-Turk stiffened when Cloud stepped out, dressed only in baggy, clean pants and still toweling his hair dry. The clone stopped as well when he happened to look up. Their eyes met even though they were yards from each other. Vincent blinked a few times before he had to look away. He didn't look up when Cloud started to walk, didn't turn when a door opened and soon closed. He only looked up again when he was sure he was alone in the long corridor.

* * *

Zax looked up from his hands when he heard the door open and close. "What is it?" he immediately asked and reached for his sword at the startled look on Cloud's face. "You look like you've seen a ghost..."

"No, it's... Vincent was there. In the hall." The blond explained and hurried away from the door, throwing the wet towel over the back of the only chair in the room. Zax relaxed and even smiled a bit.

"You two have to talk eventually. You do know he was manipulated when he..."

"When he killed me. Yes, I know." Cloud's tone made it clear that he didn't want to talk about this right now. He shook his head sharply, throwing around small showers of water. Zax suspected he'd scrubbed himself as long as it took to get rid of every drop of dried blood. His skin was pink enough.

"Maybe we should try to rest a bit. Cid said he'd try to arrange for something to eat later. There's nothing else to do, really. Unless you want to go out for a walk?"

Cloud stood in the middle of the small cabin, running fingers through his hair again and again. It was too wet to spike up properly yet, and long enough to be tied to a ponytail to his neck. His face was set in a contemplative frown, and it made Zax smile all the more. Whatever it was that had happened only a few days ago, just before they left to get the Black Materia, had truly waken Cloud up. The blond seemed more sane and collected than... well, than in the last five years. Zax had suspected that Sephiroth had controlled Cloud again when Ifalna died, but it didn't seem like it. And at the Temple he had seen himself how Cloud had fought against Sephiroth's grip. Maybe he didn't need to worry so much anymore.

"Cloud? Did you hear what I said?" Zax asked and smirked when the blond woke from his thoughts and turned to him.

"Hmm?"

"What do you want to do, Cloud?" the Soldier repeated.

"Want? I don't want. I need." Cloud said, staring at the wall. Zax was about to ask for an explanation but the blond suddenly turned to him, and their eyes met. "I need to feel I'm alive. Please, Zax..."

"Wuh... whu-- what?" Zax asked, but then Cloud was already standing right before him, running a shaking hand through dark strands of hair. The Soldier leaned back a little and looked up, surprised to see tears on the blond's face.

"Cloud, what's wrong?"

"Zax, please! I want to know I'm alive... that I didn't die..." Cloud gasped and fell to his knees, burying his face to the Soldier's legs.

Zax had seen it before, had felt it himself many times. He had lost friends in battles, watched his comrades take comfort in each other after a bloody battle, the adrenaline still running strong through their veins. Just to feel alive. He'd even done it himself.

So he took a hold of Cloud's hands and brought them up to his lips, kissing the fingers gently. The blond quieted and looked up, his blue eyes bloodshot and glazed. Zax smiled and tugged the younger one up and to his arms.

"Don't think about it, Cloud. Don't listen to the brain right now, ok?" Zax said and allowed his hands to roam across Cloud's bare back. He forced himself not to twitch when his fingertips met the plug-ins. The contact made the blond hiss, although not in pain, and Cloud smiled when his words from last night were returned to him.

"The brain is out for the weekend, please leave your message after the beep..." Cloud whispered and leaned his head to Zax's shoulder. The Soldier almost barked with laughter.

"Cloud! Now you're really starting to sound like me... this is disturbing!"

"Zax... shut up and kiss me..." Cloud said and pressed their lips together. Zax could only obey. He was still bigger and stronger than the blond, and could easily shift their positions so that Cloud was laying on the narrow, squeaky bed and he was on top.

"You asked for it..." the Soldier reminded and lowered his head to Cloud's neck. He started to lick and gently nibble the soft skin there, making the blond squirm with pleasure. He lifted his torso when Cloud started to tug his shirt off, and soon their bare chests were pressed together. The smaller body beneath him shivered, and Zax felt himself harden when something equally hard pressed against his lower abdomen. It sobered him up a bit, made the Soldier wonder if this was wise, but that only lasted a moment when Cloud demanded all of his attention.

"Please, Zax..." the blond whispered between hot kisses, "even if you don't love me, I need this..."

Zax truly wanted to assure the blond of his love, but felt that words were meaningless right now. But he could get his message across by doing what Cloud wanted him to do, by being there for him.

He rubbed their bodies against each other, making Cloud moan loudly. "Anything you need... I'm here for you." Zax whispered and slid one of his hands between their bodies. Cloud gasped for air, shivered and claimed his lips fiercely. The Soldier thought that they'd be bruised come next morning, but didn't care. Passion was taking over; it was years since he'd last been with anyone, and his body was screaming for that familiar closeness he'd always enjoyed so much. Whether it was just sex or love, he'd always loved it.

This time it would be love, he realized, as he wanted to make Cloud love it as well.

* * *

Cloud closed the door behind him and yawned, covering his mouth with a hand. The hand itself was covered with the overly long sleeve of his shirt. Well really it was Zax's shirt, but his was still wet. And he didn't want to put it on again, knowing how bloodied it had been.

The Soldier was in the cabin, asleep and exhausted on the narrow bunk. Cloud had woken up from their nap and couldn't just lie down and fall back to sleep. Zax hadn't even stirred when he'd gotten up, dressed and out. That didn't surprise him, though, they'd both fallen asleep after their love-making. Zax had wanted to give up after the first three rounds, but Cloud had begged for more. He didn't have to beg for long, though, the Soldier had quickly found his energy again.

He had to stare into the darkness of the corridor for along time before he was certain Vincent wasn't there, watching him. He had a sneaking suspicion that the ex-Turk had heard them. The thought that _everyone_ had heard them worried him for a moment, but he doubted it. Even though they weren't moving, the airship's engines were still running to keep them in the air. It was never really quiet, and there was no one staying in the cabins right next to theirs. So he was quite sure no one had heard.

The corridor was empty, and so was the lower deck. He could hear speaking voices from the cockpit but he wasn't looking for company. Just fresh air and clear evidence that he'd eventually get out of this metal prison.

The sky above was dark blue, almost black, and full of stars. The clouds that had hidden the sun from view were completely gone from sight. The air on the deck was crisp and almost cold. They were very far in the north, after all. Cloud wrapped his arms and the thick sleeves of the sweater tightly around his torso and found a wooden cargo box to sit on.

It was nice to be alive, and to know that he was alive.

He wasn't as alone as he had thought. Cloud felt the other person before hearing or seeing anything. Someone else was on the deck, not far from him. Looking at him.

"Who is it?" the blond decided to ask before killing the possible intruder. He somehow felt the other person stiffen, surprised. The he saw movement out of the corner of his eye, and turned to see Tifa walking towards him. She seemed nervous but determined.

Cloud blushed. He could remember the girl from Nibelheim, how he'd tried and tried to become her friend, but she had never paid much, if any, attention to him. He had been too poor, too shy for her. Maybe she'd notice him now.

"Hi, Cloud. Can I sit with you awhile?" Tifa asked, her smile a bit forced when she reached his side. Cloud inched to the left on the large crate, and she sat on his right. "It's a beautiful night, isn't it?"

"Yeah..."

"I still remember the nights in Nibelheim, in the mountains. The stars were as bright but it feels like they're closer to us here. Aeris said that the Cetra used to live here... that they used to travel from star to star. Maybe they lived here to see where they'd been and where they were going?" Tifa smiled a little when she turned to him, even though he could see a spark of fear in her eyes.

"Yeah, maybe."

"Do you miss Nibelheim?"

"Not really. Too many bad memories." Cloud had wondered if she was going somewhere with her questions, or just making small talk. Her next words answered him.

"Everyone thought you died, seven years ago. But you were really held in the Shin-Ra mansion, right?"

"In the basement. Experimented upon. For two years, until Zax and Sephiroth got me out. With... Vincent's help." Just the thought of the mansion and its basement made him shiver.

"Why didn't you escape?"

"Don't you think I tried? Again and again? But there were guards, Hojo's underlings, Hojo himself... it sounds easy when said out loud, but alone in there, it's impossible." This wasn't turning into a nice conversation at all. Cloud was about to get up and go back to the cabin, but she grabbed his arm and asked him to sit back down.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to belittle it. It's horrible to think that all that time, you were just under our noses. And no one knew. Your mother was devastated..." she really was sorry for her words, and honest with him. But she kept bringing up things Cloud really didn't want to think about.

"Well she has a new son now... someone who isn't a monster..."

"I thought that was just lies from the Turks... that's what Cid said!" Tifa blurted out and blushed when he turned to her, eyes wide. "I mean, you don't seem like a monster at all!"

"Cid has been telling you about me?"

"Well, before we met you and Zax. He told us about Sephiroth and you two, and what happened five years ago."

"Nice." Cloud started to get up again, but she put a hand on his shoulder this time. A surprisingly strong hand for someone so small, Cloud noticed.

"I'm sorry, I didn't want to upset you. I just wanted to talk with you. I mean, we're both from Nibelheim... there aren't many of us left. A lot of people died in the fire. The whole town... the real town is gone. What's there now is a lie. Shin-Ra's twisted it all, pretending that nothing happened. It's like the people who died that night never even existed!"

"It would be bad publicity for Shin-Ra if people knew the truth. That's probably why everything was hushed up." Cloud said and tried to find a comfortable position on the crate again. Making love didn't feel quite as nice right now as it had a few hours ago. This conversation wasn't making him feel any better, either, even though he could sense that the fighter wasn't trying to make him feel uncomfortable. He guessed that it would be kind of... odd, to say the least, to get to talk with someone you thought has been dead for almost a decade.

"Look. I never felt that much at home in Nibelheim, but I can understand what you're trying to say. Shin-Ra's fucked up a lot of people, in different ways. With them, nothing is what it seems."

Tifa was quiet for a long moment. Then she smiled, and shook her head, her long, dark hair flowing with the movement. "I see what you're trying to say, too. Want to know what Shin-Ra's doing to the Planet, just look at Nibelheim?" She turned to him, and Cloud nodded. "What the old President started, Rufus is making worse..."

"'We're in hell under control of him', like the saying goes..." Cloud muttered and turned to the sky.

Tifa nodded and turned to the sky as well.

The stars twinkled like they hadn't a worry in the world.

-

* * *

A.N: The story took an odd turn when I accidentally wrote Professor Gackt in stead of Gast... another chapter that just went on and on and on and on... Recognize Cloud's 'saying'? You rock. And even if you don't recognize it, you rock... ;)

I finally got Cloud and Tifa talkin'. :) And Vincent got to be the star for a change! He should be getting a bigger part in the story from now on. Hee, you people seem to like him, eh? :) I fell for him again when I found this wonderful Advent Children -picture of him... he'll DEFINITELY be getting a bigger part from now on... and won't be leaving my desktop anytime soon.

Review? Please? :3


	36. 2, Chapter Eighteen

WARNING!! 1) Remember, it's Jenova. Not Sephiroth, _JENOVA_. 2) Violence and Swearing. 3) I swear, my English has gotten worse!

Don't own anyone or anything. Thank you SO very much for the reviews for the last chapter! And sorry this one's taken so long.

* * *

**Chapter Eighteen: Truth hurts, doesn't it?**

-

Professor Hojo had dismissed his assistants a few hours ago, but was still working himself even though it was close to midnight. For the last few days, ever since getting shot by the clone, he had been working frantically for Her goals, somehow feeling that there wasn't much time left. Not much time before She would set her plans in motion. And he needed to be ready.

He hadn't even noticed how dark it was in the laboratory as he tested his latest batch of specimens. The creatures still resembled humans more than anything, but with enough Mako and mutated cells from old specimens they'd grow quickly. She'd be pleased with his work. He felt like he had to make up for how hard Sephiroth had been to handle. It had taken Her long to finally break and use him.

When he heard footsteps Hojo paid them no heed. Other people besides his assistants very rarely came in. For some reason they seemed to find his beloved laboratory unsettling. He briefly wondered who'd come in so late, but didn't really care as long as he wasn't disturbed.

But the strong hand that suddenly appeared on his shoulder did disturb the professor. Especially when it didn't stop there; it snaked down towards the center of his chest where it stopped. The fingers made slow, gentle circles over his laboratory coat, giving him goosebumps.

"Working late?" a low, husky voice asked right beside his ear. Professor Hojo recognized it immediately. Of course he did. It belonged to what he still liked to call his masterpiece, even though it was sometimes more trouble than it was worth. When he made no move to turn, the hand pulled him around. In a moment Hojo was face to throat with his own creation.

"Sephiroth."

The ex-General, almost a head taller than him, was looking down at him with his strange, almost feline mako-green eyes. Even without the long sword he made a figure that inspired as much fear as awe. Hojo had to swallow before he could get out another word. "What brings you here?"

"Oh. I thought it was time to check in on you, my dear friend. And congratulate you. You really did a marvelous job with the little clone."

Hojo blinked. It was Sephiroth's voice, but then again... it wasn't. A wicked grin crept onto his pale face as the professor realized what was going on. "Jenova."

Sephiroth's face smiled at him, and his hand rose to stroke the professor's cheek. "Oh yes. Finally."

The professor cackled as he felt excitement rush through his body. "Have you experienced any problems with the body? Any disturbances from Sephiroth? How--"

"Shush..." a finger quickly rose to his lips. All Hojo could see was that smile, and how the lips parted as the mouth formed words. "The body is perfect. He's given me no trouble at all. Not anymore. Living amongst humans had made him too willful, but he gave up soon when he realized he could not beat me."

"Marvelous!" Hojo grinned and rubbed his hands together eagerly. He turned to watch as Sephiroth walked past him to the glass chambers holding the new specimens. The previously unmoving creatures responded immediately when a gloved hand touched the glass. Jenova-in-Sephiroth turned to give him a wide smile, the green eyes glowing with excitement and passion.

"These are the ones you promised me?"

Hojo nodded eagerly and came to stand next to his masterpiece. There was nothing he hadn't at one point known about Sephiroth. He could recognize the ex-General by his voice, his footsteps, his smell even! But now he hadn't. The younger man was different, and not at all in a bad way. He was finally finished! No more would humanity interrupt with Her plans, Sephiroth was all Hers! Hojo had succeeded in the longest, most tasking work he'd ever done, succeeded beyond his wildest dreams! He had hoped that Sephiroth would become a willing servant to Jenova, but this was so much better.

"They are still unfinished, and have weaknesses, but it won't take long now. Malaka was light-years behind from these ones, when I attempted the same on him. These ones will be perfect. They will serve you, and only you."

"They will show the remains of humanity its proper place." Jenova purred through Sephiroth's mouth, staring lovingly at the creatures from underneath silver brows. Hojo felt his mouth turn dry at the sight of it. When he swallowed hard the green eyes immediately turned to stare at him. The thin lips curled into a smile. "Oh, Hojo... you've really outdone yourself. I don't know how to repay you..."

"I am your servant. Your wish is my law. I don't need anything else than to see you succeed, and to know that I may have helped a bit on the way."

"A bit?! Hojo, my friend, you've helped more than just a bit. And I am grateful. You shall not go unrewarded..."

The professor found it hard to breathe when a strong arm wrapped around his bony shoulders, and hot breath tickled his cheek as Sephiroth's lips almost touched his ear. "Do you remember all those long evenings... Valentine and Lucretia minding themselves, Gast fussing over the Cetra... it was just you and me at the laboratory..." Hojo's knees turned into jelly when a hot, moist tongue licked his cheek. "I knew then already that you were the only one there I could trust."

"You... you helped me get rid of Gast..." Hojo whispered, trying to fight the shivers of ecstasy running down his spine. He couldn't remember ever being as aroused as he was now. Well, maybe back in Nibelheim, when they'd just brought Her into the mansion. He'd loved Her from the first moment he'd laid eyes on Her. He'd served Her with everything he had ever since. And he'd gladly give up his life for Her.

"I am yours, Jenova..."

* * *

Zax dreamed. In his dream he was reliving one of the most painful situations of his life. A memory he'd hoped to have forgotten a long time ago.

It was a cold spring morning in Wutai, during the last phases of the Shin-Ra - Wutai war. It had been a long, costly war, all the soldiers still alive were at the end of their strings. But they had finally taken the town of Wutai, and the country would have to give in.

The fight had been a long and hard one. It would be closer to the truth to say that they had cold-bloodedly murdered everyone in their path and left nothing standing once they'd breached the town's defenses. The Wutaians had been starved already, weak and tired, but they'd still fought hard. And lost.

The sun was rising onto a cloudless sky when Zax came to his senses. He'd all but lost control during the fight, not realizing who he was killing or if he was hurt himself. But when the sun came up he could clearly see the mutilated corpses on the streets, the blood on the cobblestones, the smoking buildings. He knew he must have slaughtered the woman near his feet, her head somewhere out of sight. She didn't have any kind of a weapon on her. Probably she'd just tried to escape with her life. And he'd killed her. Zax could feel tired, horrified tears running down his face and angrily wiped them away. They'd won the war, hadn't they? There was no reason for him to cry.

He waved his hand to a few Soldiers walking by, pale as ghosts. They seemed to be in a similar state of mind, not sure if this was any kind of a victory. They greeted him back but didn't look into his eyes. He didn't look at them either, only turned away and left to search for Sephiroth.

The town was in a similar state no matter where he walked. A few Wutaians still alive were walking down the streets, followed and watched by the Soldiers. They checked the dead and dragged them away from the main streets. Zax stopped a few of the Soldiers on the way, asking if they'd seen the General. They pointed him the right way but wouldn't look at him.

Stepping over or around the dead, avoiding severed limbs and puddles of blood, he walked almost across the whole town before he found his friend. And he'd never forget the sight of him, not even if he tried.

Sephiroth was in one of the houses, just a normal home. He stood in a dark corner, staring passively out of a window close by. Zax knew the General had heard him come in, must have sensed him, but Sephiroth made no move to acknowledge him. The Soldier stepped further into the room and leaned against a wall. He was tired. So tired of it all.

Then he noticed the cradle. It was rocking slowly near Sephiroth's feet. The long Masamune's tip rested near it, covered with blood. The cradle's pale blue blanket and pillow were dark with blood, and the baby in it rested too quietly. Zax swallowed hard and looked up to his friend, twitching when he saw that Sephiroth was staring at him. With tears flowing down his cheeks. The Soldier felt he was in a different, horrible world altogether when pale lips opened and quiet words flowed across the air which was heavy with the scent of death.

"Would you hate me, if I spilled the blood of the innocents?"

Zax started awake, sitting straight up on the narrow bed. He was gasping for air and sweating, the memory of the taste of blood strong in his mouth. It took a moment before he could reassure himself that it was only a dream, only a memory.

Beside him on the bed, Cloud stirred slightly but continued to sleep. The Soldier looked down on the younger man, and couldn't help but grin when he remembered the evening before. The blond must have gotten up at some point, for he was wearing the Soldier's sweater, too big on his thin frame. When Zax had fallen asleep they'd both been naked. That thought made him grin again.

It was really remarkable, how much Cloud had opened up and changed in just a few days. It was a change for the good. It was like having the old Cloud back.

He'd fallen for the blond over five years ago. For most of that time he'd thought he'd lost the chance to see what kind of feelings they'd have for each other. Now, with the end of the world as they knew it a very plausible image of the very near future, they still might not get to really figure out their feelings. But at least he knew that the sex would've been good. And it was very nice to curl up next to someone again, forget everything that was bad in the world for a moment, feel warm arms wrap around him, soft lips on his throat...

"Morning. Did I wake you?" Zax asked quietly when Cloud yawned and pressed his forehead against the Soldier's naked chest. Blond hairs tickled his skin as Cloud shook his head. "Did you sleep well?"

"No, not really... I dreamed of Hojo, and he was happy." The blond muttered, his eyes closed again.

"Damn. That's always a bad sign, Hojo being happy. You should have shot him in the head when you got the chance."

"You could have chopped his head off when he was down."

"True." Zax smiled and wrapped his arms around Cloud, holding him tight for a moment. "So. I think we should get up soon. If we're going to decide what to do next."

"Not yet... please... just a few more minutes." Cloud begged and burrowed deeper between Zax's body and the bed. The Soldier chuckled.

"I'm not thrilled about it either, but the thought that Yuffie or someone will jump in at any moment, looking for us, and finding us like this, well, that doesn't sound too good either."

"You just don't love me anymore..." Cloud complained quietly, half asleep again. When his breath evened out Zax leaned closer and kissed the top of his head.

"Actually, I think I do..."

* * *

Vincent had lurked in the hallway before anyone else was up. He'd slept so long in the past years that he preferred being awake. So he had stayed up all night, thinking dark thoughts. He couldn't help it, no matter what he tried to consider, it always turned dark. Death, destruction and despair were everywhere.

He had spent the evening and the night wandering around the large airship, getting to know the place. It even had a chocobo stable. What he thought to be half of the crew had actually slept there. He'd heard a lot of things through closed doors... Aeris crying, Barret talking with someone, probably Nanaki. Highwind celebrating with some of the crew in the cockpit. Zax and Cloud... he tried not to think of what he'd heard behind their door. It brought up strange emotions, but he couldn't determine what those emotions were. Jealousy? Anger? Disbelief? All of them, and then some? Emotions were so complicated, he would gladly give them all up.

He had followed Cloud at a distance last night, when the blond had left the cabin for what turned out to be fresh air and a conversation. Vincent hadn't heard all of the words that had been exchanged between the two Nibelheimers, but enough to figure out what they'd talked about. Nibelheim truly was just a small example of how Shin-Ra twisted everything to be like they wanted it to be. Lifestream to Mako, people to monsters, good to evil... it had made him so angry, but he couldn't help feeling his rage was futile. He was just one man, what could he do? He was old, tired... he envied the people on board this airship, how they refused to give up hope. Aeris had lost her mother, Zax would have to kill his best friend. What he knew of the people, they'd all lost something to Shin-Ra. But they kept on struggling. Maybe he could help them, then he wouldn't be so alone... he wouldn't be so helpless. He could do something. Change the world for the better, or die trying. But would they even trust him?

He'd been standing outside on the deck for a few hours already when Aeris came up there, searching for Yuffie. The young ninja was on the other side of the deck, hanging her head over the railing. Vincent could hear Aeris call out to her, inviting her in to decide what they'd do next. He didn't even turn to look, sure that he wasn't needed there.

"Vincent? Are you coming?" her voice was much closer now, and when he turned he could see her walking towards him. The ex-Turk froze but quickly forced an expressionless mask onto his face. He wished he'd have some sort of a cloth to cover himself from their eyes. He felt almost naked.

He was jerked out of his thoughts when a hand landed on his arm. Turning, he saw her looking up at him. Her green eyes were bloodshot from all the crying, and she looked paler than normal.

"Sorry, Aeris, what did you say?" he blurted out when he realized he'd been staring at her. She smiled slightly.

"I asked if you're coming too. We're going to decide what to do next."

"I don't think you'll need me there."

"Of course we do. You're as entitled to be there as any of us." She was gently tugging his arm now, but Vincent remained at his place by the railing.

"Why? There are demons inside of me..."

Aeris stilled and turned to follow his blood red eyes. She stepped a bit closer, her grip on his arm far gentler now. "Vincent... I know about Sephiroth. That you're his father. You have every right to be there."

"... How do you know?" Vincent swore in his mind when his voice broke slightly on the words. The last thing he wanted was to make her worry even more about him.

"My father told me. I'm sorry that you have to listen to the others calling him a monster and other things."

"He's no longer my son. They are right. Jenova has turned him into a monster."

Aeris fell quiet for a moment, giving Vincent a chance to berate himself again.

"Still. Please, Vincent, come with me." She tugged at his arm again, and this time he followed her. Into the bowels of the large airship, and into the cockpit. The crewmembers had left their usual posts so that only the members of the Avalanche, Zax, Cloud and Professor Gast were present. Aeris let go of his arm at the door, and the ex-Turk stayed outside the loose circle that the others formed. They gave him quick looks to acknowledge that he was there, but didn't seem too accepting of the fact. Zax seemed to blush when Vincent raised his eyebrow slightly at the Soldier. Cloud didn't even look at him.

"All right, no use beatin' around the bush, let's get to business!" Cid announced loudly, looking slightly hung over. Barret and Tifa ended their quiet conversation, and everyone turned to the captain. The blond frowned and scratched his head. "What the hell're you all lookin' at me for? What am I, a fuckin' chairman or somethin'?"

"You look like you could use a wheelchair, old man..." Yuffie muttered, making Zax chuckle. Barret, Nanaki and Cid all glared at them.

"All right then." Cid continued, sighing. "So we're here to decide what the hell to do next. We can either go back to Cosmo Canyon or go after Sephiroth, the murdering son-of-a-Turk..."

Vincent felt the room spin around him a few times before stopping suddenly. But the captain wasn't even looking at him, didn't seem aware of his words or the fact that Aeris was staring at him wide-eyed, glancing over at the ex-Turk. Zax's mouth was half open to say something, but Cloud was squeezing his hand.

"So, what's it gonna be? What's the whole situation here, are we all on the same page?"

Aeris stepped forward a bit and cleared her throat. "Well. Now that we have the Highwind it would be easy to head over to the Northern Crater to check if Sephiroth is truly there. He has the Black Materia, and once he's gathered enough spirit energy he'll be able to summon it. Mother was praying for Holy, which would protect the Planet from the Meteor, but we don't know if she was able to summon it completely."

"So we better kill Sephiroth before he can summon the bastard?" Barret asked, and Aeris nodded.

"I guess it's off to the Crater then?"

"We're already this close, it would seem pointless to go back to the Cosmo Canyon just to think on it." Nanaki answered Cid's question, and the others seemed to agree. Aeris looked over at Vincent, who also nodded minutely.

"Right. I'll just go and drag the crew outta the chocobo stables, and we're off. Won't take long to get there, so don't get too comfortable."

* * *

"Y'know, I really hate to do this. They're the good guys, right? But I gotta betray them. I mean, the Prez won't cut me any slack anymore. One more mistake and he's having my ass for dinner. In a bad way. In a very, very bad way."

The little cat babbled on, even though the only one who heard its words was the pinkish Mog upon which it sat on. The Mog hopped on and on, never tiring. The little cat straightened the little crown on top of it's black-and-white head and sighed, the quite human gesture edged with static.

They were almost at Cosmo Canyon already. That was the last place the Avalanche had been spotted, or to be more exact, it was where the cat's predecessor had known they'd go to. The cat and the Mog had been put on a Shin-Ra plane flying to Wutai, and they'd been unceremoniously kicked out at the Canyon area. At least they'd been given a parachute, or a third robot would've been necessary. The little cat didn't know how many more robots there were at the HQ's bowels.

"You know, it feels kinda strange to call myself Cait Sith. I mean, one Cait Sith already died. Well, was destroyed. I'm basically still the same inside, right? But it's still odd. The guys are gonna get suspicious, seeing me again. They know I'm from Shin-Ra, it's not likely they'll talk freely in front of me ever again."

The Mog had reached the high stairs that lead to the town, and started to hop them up, a few at a time. The cat sighed again and held on tighter.

* * *

"Is that guy a fuckin' moron or something?" Reno muttered, amused despite the end of the world looming over them. He sat in front of the monitor spying on Reeve spying on the Avalanche, headphones over his ears. They'd placed a bug in the Mog, just to make sure Reeve could be trusted. "I mean, he's controlling both robots, right? And he's talking with one to the other one?"

"Just shut up and listen, Reno." Elena said, going through a pile of files, absent-mindedly sipping at her cold coffee.

"But he's one of the bloody managers of Shin-Ra Inc., right?" Reno argued, waving a frustrated hand at the little screen. On the other side, Reeve had buried his face into his hands while the robots reached the top of the stairs.

"So are Heidegger and Palmer." The blonde commented. Reno stared ahead for a long moment.

"A point. A very scary point." He took the headphones off and turned to her. "Lissen, you and Rude wouldn't come after me if I just took off? Quit, you know? With the world ending and stuff."

"Of course we would, Reno. And the world's not ending. There's an Avalanche on the way." Elena closed the files and winked, slipping down from the desk.

"We're supposed to stop them, remember?"

"Come on, Reno. Do you honestly think we can do anything? That we'd do something that'd mean the end of the world?" she smoothed the wrinkles from her dark blue uniform and ran a hand through her hair.

"We're the Turks. We do what the President wants us to." Reno argued just for the sake of arguing with the blonde. Ever since the adventure at the Temple, she'd been acting very strange.

"The world comes first. The President can go and... and..." Elena frowned and tapped at her lips with a finger, thinking hard, "... and jump in a crater if he doesn't see that."

Reno stared at her.

"Well, you keep an eye on Reeve and let us know if something happens, I'm off to meet the new recruits!"

Reno stared after her even when the door had closed behind her. After a while he sniffed dramatically and wiped an imaginary tear from his eye.

"I'm so proud of you, kiddo! You'll make a top-Turk yet!"

He turned back to the monitor and put the headphones on again. "Just... learn to swear, damn it."

* * *

It didn't take too long for them to reach the Crater area. Cid conferred with the pilot while the others got their weapons ready. The Crater opened not far from them like a giant maw in the ground.

"That... is SO creepy..." Yuffie muttered to Tifa, the two of them standing next to each other at one of the windows. "An' we're really gonna go down there?"

Tifa nodded and smiled when the young girl turned even paler than she had been since getting onboard. "What, I thought ninjas knew no fear?"

"We know fear, we're just not in talking terms." Yuffie muttered and yelped when the ship suddenly lurched and turned back, just as they were nearing the Crater itself. "Hey! What gives?!"

"Sorry guys, we gotta head back a bit to land. There's some nasty weather around here." Cid called out so that everyone heard. "Hold on, there may be some turbulence!"

Tifa and Aeris both followed the young ninja when she stumbled out of the cockpit, just to make sure she wouldn't fall over the railing or something. Vincent leaned against a wall as lightning flashed outside, lighting even the inside of the cockpit. Not far from him, Professor Gast had slumped to the floor, face hidden behind his hands. They'd leave him to the ship when they went to battle Sephiroth. The Professor wouldn't be of help there. But he, Vincent, would get to go. Most of the members of the Avalanche had been against it, but Aeris and Zax both had demanded that he'd get to go. No one had thought to offer him a weapon, though.

The ship was soon far enough from the storm's eye that it could sail smoothly again. Cid ordered everyone to the upper deck; they'd get off while the ship floated near the crater, and then the Highwind would fly a bit farther in case the storm moved.

They left the ship quickly and quietly, and stood on the naked rocks until it flew away. Quiet and determined, they turned towards the Crater. It bathed in white mist which hid most of it from their sight. A pillar of greenish light shot out form the center of the crater high into the air.

"Two millennia ago... a scar was left on the Planet. It's amassed a vast amount of energy to heal itself." Aeris said quietly. Her words cut through the icy air and the heavy silence. "Sephiroth took that energy and is trying to use Meteor. Next time the wound won't be so small."

"So let's do this!" Yuffie shouted enthusiastically, although she was shivering with cold.

"Yeah, for the Planet!" Barret lifted his gun-arm high and turned to point to the center of the Crater. "Let's go!"

Aeris smiled at them as the group started to walk towards the center. They were all so scared of what they'd find, what would happen if they failed. So was she. But they weren't going to give up. "Don't worry, mother, we'll do our best."

As they walked downwards the air started to warm again, and the snow gradually gave way to bare, barren land.

"You know..." Zax said to Cloud, rubbing his upper arms to keep warm, "I remember hearing about these two guys who came climbing here. The Gaia cliffs are somewhere around here, I think."

The blond just nodded, too busy trying to keep warm.

Aeris was walking a bit ahead of them and heard the words. She waited for the two to catch up and joined the conversation.

"You mean Mr. Holzoff? He and his friend left Icicle Inn when I was just a child, trying to climb the cliffs. No one's heard of them since. The cliffs are a bit behind us now, we landed at the top of them."

"What? You're from these parts?" Zax asked, smiling at her. "Damn, I would have guessed you'd be from Mideel or something like that. You don't seem like a cold weather critter."

Aeris laughed. "A what?"

"That's what my dad used to call people living up here in the north. It's pretty warm in Gongaga around the year, and he's got this whole theory about warm weather and cold weather people. That they're complete opposites of each other. Warm weather critters are always happy and a bit lazy, too, and cold weather critters are always busy working to keep warm. He always made up stuff like that when I was a kid."

"Sounds pretty damn stupid to me..."

"Cid! Be nice! I'm sure your dad told you stories as well." Aeris was smiling when she quickly bent down to pick up a bit of snow and tossed it at the Captain. Cid swore when some of the snow went inside his shirt.

"Damn it woman! Don't do that!"

"I'm sure Mr. Grumpy's dad just gave him an engine manual to read by himself." The Soldier said and winked at Aeris, reaching out to rub some warmth to Cloud's back.

"So what if he did! Somethin' wrong with that, huh?!" Cid screamed back and swore loudly when Zax and Aeris started to laugh. "I hate you both!"

"I think the cold's getting to them." Nanaki commented to Barret, the two of them leading the group. Yuffie and Tifa were the last, watching Vincent who walked behind Zax and Cloud.

"Jes' keep tellin' yourself that, an' maybe you'll believe it soon..." the gun-armed man muttered.

Soon they were walking on completely bare ground, and the air was warm enough so that they couldn't see their breath anymore. It was starting to get humid, though and soon a white mist surrounded their feet. Sharp, high teeth of black rock shot out from the ground, leaning towards the center of the Crater. The disturbing silence, previously broken only by their own footsteps and breathing, was now interrupted by low howls and gusts of wind.

Then the mist and rocks gave way to greenish-gray rocks, their edges smoothed by the howling winds that now tore at their clothes. The mist was now thinner, and in stead of swirling around their feet it hid the crater's walls from their eyes.

"Watch where you put yer feet!" Barret called out when he himself almost stepped onto thin air. The rock base of the Crater was turning treacherous now. Ground had broken all around them, here and there only thin, snaking paths lead towards the center. And the wind was blowing even harder, making it more difficult and dangerous to continue.

"Alright, we gotta stop for a sec here!" Barret roared over the howling wind, lifting his human hand up. Everyone stopped, seeing the almost solid wall of wind ahead of them. "We gotta wait for t'wind to calm before we can cross! Hold on to yer hats!"

"This is why we had to get off back there!" Cid screamed to the closest person, Aeris, and pointed over his shoulder with a thumb. "Couldn't get near this safely!"

Aeris nodded and looked around to check that everyone was still with them. Vincent was standing close by, his back to the wind, pale face hidden by black hair. Barret and Nanaki were near the edge of the thin cliff, watching the wind. Cid was using his spear to stay standing in the wind as he made his way to the last four of their group, probably to pass Barret's words to them. There was no way they could have heard him over the wind.

She glanced over at the loud wind blowing between the two cliffs, not showing any sign of calming, and walked over to Vincent, almost losing her footing more than once. The ex-Turk turned to her before she reached him, and stepped towards her, away from the dangerous edge.

Aeris stepped close enough that she didn't have to shout for him to hear her. "We've walked for a few hours already. I don't think it's far now."

Vincent just nodded, but started when she suddenly stepped closer to him. He looked down to find her pressed tight against his left side, pressing her hands to her chest.

"Are you all right?" Vincent moved to catch her if she'd fall. Aeris nodded, and pushed the gun from her hands to his.

"Yes, it's just the wind. We better get ready... Sephiroth is near." With that she turned and walked to Barret and Nanaki.

Vincent, surprised, stared at the gun in his hands before realizing that she hadn't wanted anyone else to see it. He quickly and deftly hid it underneath his shirt and the waistband of his trousers. He would be ready to meet his son.

The wind finally calmed enough so that they could cross a bit more safely. The stone paths almost led them to their deaths more than once, and monsters appeared from behind boulders. Two more strong walls of wind forced them to slow down before Aeris told them to stop.

"He's very near now. I can feel the power he's gathered to summon Meteor."

"I can feel him as well..." Cloud whispered, and Vincent, not far from the blond, thought that he was feeling an odd sense of tingling as well. But he didn't fool himself by thinking that he could somehow, magically, feel the presence of his child. It wasn't Sephiroth they felt, it was Her. Jenova, and the power she'd gathered from the Planet.

"Alright then... this is it. Do your best, and don't anyone go dyin' on me, ok?" Barret said, his eyes quickly meeting everyone's, even Cloud and Vincent's eyes. "After we've stopped him, we'll head off to Midgar and finish our business with Shin-Ra. We're gonna need all your asses whole for that!"

"... I'm not even going to make a stupid joke about that..." Zax muttered to Cloud and nudged the blond along when they started to move on, Barret, Nanaki and Aeris leading them.

* * *

"Something's gonna go wrong, I can feel it in my guts. I don't like this at all. We're screwed. We're all so dead."

"Shut up, Reno!" Elena hissed and nudged him in the ribs, her eyes never leaving the horizon ahead of them.

"We're flying halfway across the world because of something a possible, no, a _known_ traitor told us. His words were backed up by a madman! This is not gonna be pretty."

Rude, on the red-head's other side, put his big hand on Reno's shoulder. "Reno, shut up."

"We're the Turks, Reno, it's our job to be present when something like this happens. Maybe we can do something to turn things into a better direction."

Reno glanced over at the blonde, their voices lowered so that none of the troopers, Soldiers, or especially the President could hear. "Yeah? Better for who? The Prez might have ideas of his own."

Determined, Elena smiled and straightened her back. "We'll know what to do."

"... We are so screwed..."

"Shut up, Reno."

* * *

After a tunnel of stone, lighted by whatever awaited them at the other end, they stepped into a large, high space. The walls were of stone and ice, and light shining from somewhere above lighted the whole space. The thick ice walls were different shades of blue, purple and green, high and impossible to climb. And on top of one of them, the one straight ahead, sat Sephiroth.

"Sephiroth! Get down here! It's time we settled this!" Barret's voice boomed and echoed in the open space so loudly that Cid and Yuffie actually cowered a bit. Then, whether it was a coincidence or if Barret's shout actually disturbed something, the ground and walls shook. But Sephiroth didn't move at all to acknowledge any of it.

"What the hell was that?!" Cid screamed, looking all around but seeing no enemy.

"You're a little... late."

Everyone turned to Sephiroth when the voice spoke, but the ex-General hadn't moved at all.

"Who is it?!" Barret demanded to know, but fell silent quickly when the ground beneath them shook gently again.

"You have a very commanding voice. You would have made a good commander for Soldier."

"Who the fuck?! Show yerself!" Aeris tried to calm the furious man while Nanaki sniffed the air and started to follow a scent that was disturbingly familiar.

Vincent was startled when Cloud suddenly stood beside him. "It's him, isn't it?"

"What?" Vincent asked. He'd been staring at Sephiroth so intensely that he hadn't really paid attention to anything else. He'd met his son once, five years ago. The person on the high pedestal of ice looked like him, but wasn't. He'd said his goodbyes and was ready to fight just when Cloud had suddenly spoken.

"The voice, Vincent. It's him. Hojo."

Zax heard his words and squared his teeth, pulling his sword out. "Hojo?!"

"Yes, it's him." Nanaki's nose confirmed it.

"I think I should be flattered that you all remember me. Considering that lower life forms as yourselves don't have much of a memory to brag about." The professor stepped out from behind a wall in the ice, previously hidden by the illusions the light and ice created, making the walls look solid and smooth. In his arms, cradling it like a baby, was an object Zax, Cloud and Cid had no trouble recognizing.

"Oh shit! That thing is still ...alive?!" Cid shouted with disgust at the alien head which was now more greenish than the blue it had previously been.

Hojo laughed and nodded, lifting the head up to eye level. "It still exists, but my dear Jenova now lives on elsewhere."

"Not for long, it won't!" Barret shouted and aimed his gun-arm at Sephiroth. Hojo didn't even object, he just laughed when a barrier shielded the man from the bullets.

"You didn't think it was going to be that easy, did you?" the professor laughed. But he went serious quite quickly as the Buster-sword sank into the thick ice beside his head, and its owner, still holding the hilt, came face to face with him.

"You sick fuck, there's a world of pain waiting with your name on it. You've hurt so many people so badly... and we're still pissed. And everyone's gonna get their turn with you." Zax was just about boiling with rage, his muscles straining the sleeves of his shirt. The others, seeing that they couldn't get close to Sephiroth or to hurt him, started to come closer to the professor.

Hojo laughed in his face.

"Don't count your chickens yet, Zackery. They've not hatched, you don't know if one of them is a monster." The sly grin rising on the professor's face made the Soldier feel sick. "Isn't that right, Cloud?"

"You leave Cloud out of this! You've hurt him enough!" Zax roared to Hojo's face, leaving his sword embedded in the ice wall to grab a hold of the man's laboratory coat.

"Maybe, but not as badly as he hurt the sweet Cetra woman..."

"... You... you're lying." Zax whispered when the sudden silence had grown so deep that the sounds of his own heartbeats were turning the Soldier deaf. He knew that everyone else was staring at Cloud. They'd never really trusted the blond, and Hojo's lies wouldn't help at all. "Stop." He'd feared that Cloud had hurt Ifalna, but the shock and terror on the blond's face when they'd gotten there, it had been real. "You're lying."

"Am I? Cloud?"

Zax didn't turn around when Cloud stuttered a bit and shook his head. "You're lying, Hojo. You're just trying to confuse me."

On the contrary." Hojo smirked but Zax's fist to his face wiped it off of his face. But when the professor looked up at the Soldier with pure malice in his eyes, the Soldier knew he'd made a mistake.

"Tell me, Cloud, did it feel good when you pushed the blade into her unprotected back, when she trusted you to keep her safe?"

Horrified, even the Soldier turned to look at Cloud. The clone's eyes were wide with horror and he was shaking his head. "No! I didn't hurt her!"

"Are you sure?" Hojo asked, cocking his head. The blood from his cut lip reached his immaculate laboratory coat. "You know, Jenova could make you relive the memory, just to be positive..."

"Stop it! Don't lie!" Cloud screamed, lifting his fists to cover his ears.

_/"You'll watch my back, won't you, Cloud?"_

_"... Yeah, sure."/_

"I tried to protect her but Sephiroth came and..."

_/The underground haven was cold, abandoned and quiet. Cloud sighed and sat on the cold stone, his legs crossed. He lifted his elbows to his knees and leaned his chin on his palms, looking at Ifalna._

_In a place like this, who would attack them?/_

"... He came and... his sword..."

_/If his inner clock could be trusted, they'd already been there for a few hours. Cloud was starting to get bored, and sleepy. Ifalna just kneeled there, her hands clasped together to her chest, her head bowed in silent prayer. Nothing moved, not even the shadows and light. Only the water made the occasional, quiet noise. He was sure he could hear and see anyone approaching a mile away. But he hadn't expected someone to just drop in on them from above, without a sound or a warning. Just a sudden shadow which grew quickly, and before he could even stand up, there was Sephiroth, his long sword in his hand, poised for the kill. Ifalna was too deep in her trance to even notice when Cloud jumped up, screaming._

_"NO!"_

_Sephiroth had been ready to sink the sword into her back, but suddenly he stopped and, in one fluid movement, lowered his sword and turned to Cloud, a cat-like smile on his face. He took a few steps towards the shivering clone._

_"All right then, Cloud. I won't kill her."/_

"..." the blond fell quiet, gasping for breath as he could feel everyone staring at him.

"Yes, Cloud? We're all waiting..." Hojo said with a soft chuckle. Zax roared then and punched the man again, but his hand was shaking now and there wasn't much power behind the punch.

/_Cloud swallowed hard as Sephiroth came to stand right in front of him. A black-gloved hand came up and gently took his chin, lifting it up. He shivered as their eyes met, seeing in the green eyes nothing of the Sephiroth who had rescued him from Hojo's hands with Zax. He really wished the Soldier was here right now. All he had was his gun, tucked under the waist of his pants. He was quite sure mere bullets wouldn't be enough to stop Sephiroth._

_"I'll let her live, as I'm sure you two have so much to talk about..." Sephiroth whispered and stepped to the left, allowing Cloud to see Ifalna again._

_But it wasn't Ifalna who kneeled there. This woman was blonde, her hair slightly spiky and her clothes plain but warm, fit for the cool climate of the Nibel-mountains. His breath hitched when Cloud stepped forward, wanting nothing more than to be hugged by his mother. To be called her 'little chocobo' again._

_"... Mother..."_

_Then he remembered all the things she'd said. And worse yet, he could hear them all again even as he watched the still woman._

'"... You are a monster... you aren't my son, you are a monster..."'

'"My sweet little child, he could never, ever do a thing like that..."'

'"I am not your mother, you aren't my Cloud! My sweet little boy is dead, how dare you pose as him? HOW DARE YOU?! You MURDERER!"'

_"... Shut up, mother..." Cloud hissed and covered his ears with shaky hands, old wounds torn open again. Sephiroth stood next to him, watching them with a small smile on his face._

_The blond blinked furiously to clear his eyes of unwanted tears. His mother had abandoned him. He'd done something horrible, he couldn't blame her too much for it, but when he'd next seen her she'd broken his heart._

'"I am sorry, but I don't know you... any on you. Could you please leave now, I'm afraid I am very busy."'

_The blond man, her new son, her better, kinder son had walked in soon after that. Cloud would have understood he no longer had any kind of family even if she hadn't given her child such a loving gaze. His heart had bled and turned harder, the pain too much to bear at the moment. Now it all came back, strong as ever._

'"Mom? Everything all right?"'

'"Yes, dear, everything's fine. These men were just leaving, weren't you?"'

_And so he'd been dismissed from her life. A monster. A murdered. A stranger. Breathing heavily, Cloud took a hold of Masamune's handle when Sephiroth offered it to him with a hungry smile. He walked behind his mother, determined and so angry he didn't even stop to think when he lifted the blade high, aimed between her shoulder blades and struck._

_She didn't make a sound when the blade sunk into her, in high at her back and out through her stomach. The metal scraped against bone and sliced clean through inner organs. She turned limp and slowly, so slowly, held partly upright by the blade still in his hands she started to fall forward. Her hands fell from her chest and opened. A white materia dropped to the stone from her hands. Sephiroth casually kicked it into the pool while Cloud stood still, breathing heavily and keeping the woman up with the blade._

_"Thank you, Cloud. You did very well." The silver-haired man said sweetly, lifting a hand to the blond's shoulder. Cloud shivered and let go of the blade, stepping back so fast he almost tripped over his own feet._

_"N-no... mother!" Cloud dropped to his knees next to the dead woman and started to shake her. "Mother! I'm sorry I didn't mean it! Please wake up! Please!"_

_Sephiroth shook his head, throwing his long hair over his shoulder. "Hojo overdid himself with you... I do believe it's time I paid him a little visit... do miss me while I'm away, little Cloud..."/_

Cloud sobbed and covered his face with his hands. "... I didn't mean it... I tried to wake her up but she wouldn't... she wouldn't wake up again..."

Zax fist came up again, but this time it hit only the ice wall besides Hojo's head. The professor, now free of his clutch, stepped away from the Soldier and picked up the head he'd dropped at some point. Aeris was crying quietly. The ground shook gently.

"And, thanks to that little confession, Cloud, you've done your duty and bought Jenova just enough time to finish summoning the Meteor." Hojo patted Cloud's shoulder and turned to walk towards Sephiroth. The ground was still shaking, harder now, and the walls and the roof were starting to come apart.

"Now, this place is starting to come apart... if you wish to live to see Jenova rise to a god of this little Planet, I suggest you get out while you still can. But it really doesn't matter to me, even if you don't. It was interesting to meet you again."

With that, the professor bowed and teleported away. The room was shaking even harder, large rocks fell from the roof and the walls were cracking. Sephiroth still remained seated, even though the wall and pedestal beneath him were breaking apart.

-

* * *

A.N: Sorry this chapter has taken so incredibly long to get out! I got a job a few months ago and have been working on other things besides that. Phew. Will try to get next chapter out sooner. Thank you very much for reading, and for reviewing! ;)


	37. 2, Chapter Nineteen

I don't own any character or location in this story. I do own a few spiffy figurines of them, but I don't think that counts. Warnings once more for swearing and baaaad English. :)

* * *

**Chapter nineteen: For the future**

**-**

Vincent stared down from the deck of the floating Highwind, deep down into the bowels of Midgar. He could imagine all the small faces there, peering up at him, at the airship. And past them, to the sky, where the Meteor was burning its way through space. He could sense their panic, their suddenly found love for life, and the small but persistent hope that something would happen. Something would push the Meteor off course, or destroy it before it reached them.

It had been just a few days since they'd left the Northern Crater, barely escaping with their lives. Barret, wanting to make sure that he was up to 'no stupid shit' had grabbed his arm and dragged him out with the rest of them when the earthquake had gotten worse. Hojo had disappeared, Zax and Cloud were still standing there, not daring to move. And Sephiroth was gone again. He had no idea where. He'd had to turn eventually, to see where they were going. He'd have to trust that the Soldier and Cloud would take care of themselves. They'd ran over the uneven terrain, the ground shaking and the winds blowing. Zax reached them before the worst wall of wind, but didn't stop, no matter how Cid shouted and swore at him. The captain had contacted Highwind, and the ship had come to meet them near the black, tooth-like rocks. Zax was nowhere to be seen. They'd reached the deck before the earth at the Crater had opened and given birth to a monstrosity.

Aeris had explained it, once they'd gotten far from the Crater and the ship was flying somewhat straight. The monster was a Weapon, a child of the Planet, created solely for the purpose of ridding the Planet of anything and everything that would harm it. She suspected that there was more than just the one, but after the surprise confession at the Crater, she wasn't feeling like talking, and had retired to one of the cabins. They had turned back, to search for Zax and Cloud from the air, but hadn't gotten far when they spotted the other airship. It was smaller, coming their way, and packing a lot of weapons.

The ship had contacted them with the radio, and who was speaking but the President of Shin-Ra Inc. himself. Rufus Shin-Ra. Sounding like his usual, cocky self, even though seeing the Weapon fly by had shaken him. It was obvious in his voice.

With all that firepower, the smaller ship had bullied them into giving up, cowardly threatening the lives of Marlene and Shera. The ship had flown close to the Highwind, close enough that Soldiers had boarded them, and locked everyone into cabins. Alone. Vincent had been in the cabin next to Cid, and had heard the blond man's whole repertoire of insults and swearwords at least six times before they'd reached Midgar.

They'd been kept in the airship, in custody for over 30 hours. Then, out of nowhere, one morning it was there. The Meteor, up in the sky. No one knew what it was at first, but as it slowly grew, people started to worry. And then panic. The Turks were sent aboard to question them on what was going on. Stupid, actually, considering that they already knew. The Turks seemed to be thinking the same. But Rufus wanted to hear it again, wanted Gast to report to him, since Shin-Ra's own scientist had locked himself and his assistants to his own floor, and wasn't answering the phone or the door.

And after long, long hours spent making sure that they weren't lying, Rufus himself had come up to the Highwind, very surprised and very, very scared.

Vincent still found it quite hard to believe what had happened next. After they'd dragged a furious Barret away from Rufus, which hadn't been easy, professor Gast had once more explained to the President what was going on. After a moment Rufus had called a truce to figure a few things out. Like what they could do to save the world.

Barret was now down at the Shin-Ra HQ, without a doubt spoiling his little daughter rotten. That had been his first demand, that Marlene and Shera were set free before they'd even think about working together. Demands of shutting down the reactors had followed, but after a few heated moments even the head of Avalanche had agreed that they'd first have to take care of the Meteor.

Gast, Aeris, Cid, almost everyone was down in the city. Vincent had chosen to remain up here, where there weren't so many people everywhere you looked. Where the air was relatively fresh, and it was quiet, if you ignored the engines.

"Funny how things work out, isn't it?"

Vincent didn't honor the words by being surprised, even though he knew the three had tried to sneak up on him. He'd felt them from far away. He just turned slowly to face the unusual trio, who, not as skilled in the art of showing no emotion were a bit startled at seeing him.

"It's so funny my sides are hurting with all this laughter." He commented dryly and didn't relax one bit as the three Turks stepped away from the dark shadows to the deck. The woman, Elena, was standing in the middle, a bit in front of the other two. The redhead was on her right, and the tall one on her left. She was the one who'd spoken, and who continued to speak, even though she seemed to be the most nervous of them all.

"You're Vincent Valentine. The top Turk from over twenty years ago."

Vincent just nodded minutely, not quite sure where this would go, but keeping that strictly to himself.

"Everyone thought you died. But then again, a lot of other people who were supposed to have died are still alive, so, you know, this shouldn't be much of a surprise."

Vincent blinked slowly, now even curious. The redhead cleared his throat, and she hurried to continue.

"I've read my history lessons. The Turks were a lot different back then. You were an elite group with some morals and standards. That's not the case these days. We've been the President's lapdogs since you disappeared."

Vincent noticed that the other two gave each other quick, puzzled looks. That made him even more curious.

"Since Tseng died a few years back, it's gotten even worse. This is all the Turks are now. The three of us. We're loyal to the President, and Shin-Ra, of course, but... there's so much more going on now, stuff that's more important than he is."

"Uh, Elena..." the redhead, Reno, started, but she hurried on.

"I've been selecting new recruits for us for a while now. I've got a pretty good number of promising men and women, and after some training I'm sure we can select the best of them and train them into top Turks. Make the Turks the elite force we once were. A group who respects our boss, but still knows how to think for ourselves."

"Elena!" Reno shouted now, but she just pushed on, stepping closer to Vincent.

"This is something that's really important to me. I didn't join the Turks so I could watch the world end while me and my partners throw donuts at each other!"

"Hey!"

"I want to be proud of what I am, of what we are! I want to make a difference! I want to live, to know that I've done something worthwhile and am not just a criminal protected by the President!"

"Elena, shut the fuck up! What the hell are you goin' on about?!" Reno screamed and strode to her side. The third Turk remained at his spot, but Vincent got the feeling that he was baffled behind those dark glasses. He expected Reno to give her a lecture on what the Turks, in his point of view, were.

"I resent the notion that we just throw donuts at each other! Yeah, we're criminals, but if you wanted charity you'da become a nurse, not a Turk! This hasn't been what any of us expected, but then again, Tseng wasn't supposed to die like that, we weren't supposed to be a group of three not much better than rookies, and the bloody world wasn't supposed to end! Life's not fair!"

Vincent felt that he was missing their point right then. He let out a little cough, and the two turned to stare at him, his arms still thrown high and open from his earlier ranting. Elena took this as a chance to go on.

"I want to turn the Turks into another direction. If we can save the world, and if there'll be a Midgar afterwards, and a need for us. Mr. Valentine, will you help me? Will you train the new Turks?"

Reno's mouth fell open, and Rude's eyebrows rose above the sunglasses. Vincent blinked with surprise. His first instinct was to say no straight away, to laugh in their faces, at least figuratively speaking, and to walk away. He wanted nothing more to do with Shin-Ra or the Turks. But she was looking up at him with those blue eyes, begging almost. Vincent could remember eyes like that, begging from behind a wall of thick glass.

"I'll think about it." He muttered eventually, and Reno's jaw fell even more. But Elena's face lit up so bright that he felt almost uncomfortable. He'd made a Turk happy, even if he'd done it just to give her hope. In memory of another pair of blue eyes. He didn't believe that he or any of them would be alive in a few weeks, so what he said didn't really matter. She was a Turk, but they were on the same side now. It wasn't wrong to give people hope.

"Thank you, Mr. Valentine!" She said enthusiastically, bowed and turned to leave. Reno and Rude glanced at him, then at each other, and hurried after her.

"What the hell was that about? Elena! I thought we were just gonna, you know, talk to the guy! Not marry him like that!"

Vincent blinked and, shaking his head slowly, turned to stare at Midgar again.

* * *

The scene was hauntingly familiar. The members of Avalanche standing in the Shin-Ra HQ, in the President's office, in front of the huge desk. Rufus was pacing behind it, and four other Shin-Ra executives were standing near him, in an uncomfortable silence. Palmer was stealing glances around the room, especially where the last President's murdered corpse had laid, and where he himself had fainted when Sephiroth had threatened him. Scarlet didn't seem too happy about the fact that she was standing next to him, or that Reeve was on the other side of the large desk, or that the mousy woman from Avalanche was standing annoyingly close to the head of urban development. Heidegger, near Reeve, was fidgeting nervously.

Cid, on the other side of the desk from Rufus, was also eyeing Reeve and Shera suspiciously. She'd explained that Reeve had been her and Marlene's only friend when they were prisoners, and they'd been the only ones he could trust. So it was only natural they'd become friends. But Captain Highwind thought that 'friends' didn't give each other shy little looks like that. And he most certainly wasn't jealous!

Barret, near the blond man, was far more calm and collected than normal, undoubtedly because he knew that his little daughter was safe. As safe as any of them were, with the Meteor coming down on them. Now that she was safe, it was time to save the world.

Professor Gast was explaining his theories on how they could try to breach through the shield protecting the Northern Crater. And what they could do to stop the Weapons if one of them was to attack. And the Meteor. Even one of those problems would have been more than enough for a team of scientists; three for one man and with very little time was almost impossible, as he was just pointing out while Rufus demanded something more concrete. They'd sent men up to the Crater to investigate the barrier and had gone over the results several times. No one had dared to approach the Weapons, but the reports from all over the world were saying that there were definitely at least four or five of them. And the Meteor...

Nanaki, Aeris, and the scientists not locked up with Hojo were of course helping as well, as were the Elders at the Cosmo Canyon. Cait Sith was now working as the official go-between, relaying messages from Midgar to the Canyon and vice versa. The world was slowly becoming one to save itself.

Some of the scientists, Aeris and Nanaki were also present at that meeting. Tifa and Yuffie were with a group of Soldiers in the slums, telling people what was going on, helping if needed and planning a possible evacuation.

"So, since normal weapons or spells just aren't enough to break the barrier over the Crater, we've got to think of something else. Scarlet, do we have anything else we could use?" Rufus asked, glancing over at the blonde who immediately ignored Reeve and focused all her attention on the President.

"The Sister Ray of course."

"Good, get me a report on her, er, it. Perhaps we could use it against the Weapons as well. Please, as quickly as possible." He nodded and smiled, and Scarlet hurried to do his bidding. Reeve sighed with relief and quickly glanced at Shera.

"And the Meteor. What shall we do with that one..." Rufus muttered. Gast was just about to offer a theory when Cid suddenly spoke, startling everyone.

"We blow the bastard to smithereens. Problem fuckin' taken care of."

"... Would you care to elaborate, Highwind? And put that out, no smoking in my office. And _not on the carpet_!"

Cid muttered some profanities and snubbed the cigarette on the sole of his shoe. "I said we blow it."

"Even I can realize, with my knowledge of weapons, that even the Sister Ray won't reach--"

"Not with your stinkin' weapons. We _fly_ there, into space. Shoot a bomb into the bastard with a rocket. Ka-BOOOM! Meteor taken care of, we can worry about Sephiroth and the Weapons."

"And with what would we... Palmer, calm down!" Rufus and the others turned to the excited, small man who was almost giggling.

"Does this mean that the space program will be included in the budget?" Palmer asked, fingering the buttons of his shirt nervously.

"Lookitthat, the idiot's the only one with a brain!" Cid said and laughed. Rufus shook his head.

"You're not serious, are you? That old pile of rust? Will it even rise from the ground?"

"I'll have you know..." Cid growled and stepped closer to the table, making the President actually step back, "that it has been my privilege to see that the rocket is still in shape! Ok, so I haven't been to see it in a while, but the villagers wouldn't let anything happen to it. It's like our child, Prez... we worked our asses off to send it to space, and some little delays in plan like a botched lift-off and no fuckin' funding whatsoever aren't gonna stop us from taking care of it."

"That's... admirable, Highwind. We'll take it into consideration."

Now Gast stepped forward, a new glint in his eyes. "Actually, Mr. President... the Captain's plan could very well work. With the Rocket, we could fly far enough into space that we could attempt to blow the Meteor safely, far from the Planet. And if the plan fails, we'll still have some time to try another one. All we need is the bomb."

Rufus stared at the scientist for a long moment, thinking the plan over. The other scientists talked amongst themselves, excited about the idea. "Well... Captain Highwind... it looks like the Shin-Ra 26 will be taking off."

"About fuckin' time!" Cid whooped and punched the air with a fist.

* * *

Once he was sure that the Turks were off the ship, Vincent let himself sink deep into thought. He wondered if the members of the Avalanche had come to trust him enough to leave him alone like this on the Highwind, or if they were just too busy to remember him. He wondered how they could breach the barrier that kept everything and everyone out of the Crater. They'd have to get in to finish Sephiroth. He wondered what had happened to Zax and Cloud. They'd turned back to the Crater once the Weapons had flown off, but Rufus and his airship had intervened before they'd seen either one. Maybe they were still alive, somewhere near the Crater. Or maybe they were held prisoner. Maybe they'd never know.

And he wondered who'd get to kill Hojo. The mad scientist was locked in his laboratory. A few Soldiers had managed to break in, but monsters had killed off most of them before they'd even reached the proper laboratory itself. As far as he knew, no one was even attempting to break in at the moment, too busy trying to figure out what to do with the Meteor and everything. For a brief, passing moment Vincent considered leaving the ship, going to the HQ and finding a way into the laboratory. He had been a Turk, after all, it couldn't be a big of a problem to find some way to get in. But the moment passed as he realized that once again, he was weaponless, as the Soldiers had taken the gun Aeris had passed on to him. And just because no one was watching him now, it didn't mean that he'd get off the ship just like that.

"When have I become so careful? When did I start to stop and think what I can or can't do? When did I quit just... doing what I wished?" the dark man asked quietly. He almost missed the voices that used to speak to him in his head. He missed hearing Lucretia laugh, or just whisper something to him.

"When I lost you... that's when I stopped. When I realized what I'd done. You, Sephiroth. That was all because of me. Because I loved you. Because of that, Hojo got his hands on both you and our child." His hands clenched into fists of rage, and Vincent thought he could hear a low rumble answering the strong emotion.

He'd get Hojo.

* * *

"All right, since we don't have much time, I'll just head off to Rocket Town straight away." Cid said, rubbing his hands together excitedly. Palmer had already ran off to make some preparations, and Rufus had ordered that one of the Turks would be coming with them. The president was conferring with his executives and professor Gast, and the Avalanche had gathered together. "Shera, you're comin' with me. You're slow as a snail but you know your business. As soon as we get there, we're gonna give her a check-up, load the bomb the bitch in red's gonna supply us with, an' head off to space! Now, any other volunteers? I'm gonna need at least one or two others, in case something goes wrong." He looked at everyone hopefully. Barret just shook his head, muttering something about Marlene. Nanaki didn't seem too excited either, mentioning that he could probably be of more help doing brainwork on the ground. Aeris smiled and shrugged.

"Aww come on, I'm not takin' the ninja! All she'll be good of'll be throwing up all over my rocket!" He glanced over at Shera and rubbed his chin. "Well maybe we'll manage, the two of us an' Tifa. She'll get to volunteer."

"You could take Vincent with you." Aeris suggested, but the Captain was shaking his head before she finished her sentence.

"No thanks, don't want the guy going nuts up there."

"He's not just going to go nuts..." Aeris argued, smiling and shaking her head.

"Yeah, you keep tellin' me that, but he used ta be one of Hojo's pets, and you never know what those fuc-- aw, shit! Sorry, Aeris... me an' my big mouth." Cid cringed and smacked himself on the forehead when he realized what he was saying. Aeris, serious again, shrugged.

"It's all right, Cid." She said and gave him a quick smile before turning and hurrying to her father's side.

Cid swore quietly. "Shit. Someone shoot me please."

Barret just knocked him on the back of his head with his gun-arm, which made an interesting sound.

Scarlet had returned with data on the huge cannon, the Sister Ray, and had informed her subordinates to find a bomb to blow up the Meteor, when a Soldier rushed into the room, not bothering to even knock. He stopped at the door, saluted and started to report.

"Sir, we just got a call from Junon, sir! One of the Weapons has been sighted on their radar, sir, and it's approaching the city as we speak!"

Scarlet beat Rufus to the phone on his desk. She seemed almost thrilled. "This is a perfect opportunity to test the Sister Ray! I promise you, Mr. President, she'll blow that monster off the Planet's face!" The next moment she was already barking orders to the phone and demanding reports and live view from the seaside city. That was soon arranged, and everyone gathered to the large screen television on the other side of the presidential office.

The image was slightly grainy, but it showed them the view from the Junon base. The camera was facing the dark green sea which glittered yellow, red and orange with the sky and the setting sun. The beautiful image was broken by a small dot on the horizon, coming closer and spraying water all around it.

"Zoom in!" Scarlet ordered, and soon they saw a bigger image of the Weapon. It was bluish-purple, covered with what looked like hard shields, and approaching very fast. "Is the Sister ready yet? Well what are you waiting for, FIRE!"

The boom of the great cannon almost deafened them, even though it came through the television. The missile soon disappeared from their sight, only to hit water where the Weapon was. A huge explosion followed, sending waves and sprays into every direction.

"Is it dead?" Cid asked, lighting a cigarette with slightly shaking hands. This time Rufus didn't either notice or care that someone was smoking in his office.

Once the sea calmed again enough for them to see, they let out a collective gasp, and voices started to scream orders in Junon.

The Weapon was still alive, and approaching as fast as before. It was now close enough that smaller cannons were ordered to open fire, and their noise made it harder to hear what was being said in the Junon base. Scarlet was shouting into the phone beside them, ordering for the big cannon to be loaded again, and fast.

But it took longer to load the cannon than for the Weapon to reach Junon. Aeris screamed in horror when it rose from the water, towering over the city. They could see its features more clearly now, the yellowish eyes that shone brightly from small slits in something that appeared to be a helmet. It was covered with protective armour, all of it that they could see.

"It's attacking!"

The horrified scream from Junon silenced even Scarlet, and they all just stared at the screen. The Weapon had opened its great maw, and pure, white light was gathering in it now. The light grew brighter and stronger, and almost blinded them when it shot out of the mouth and hit the Junon base. Explosions, screams and roars filled the air as the camera shook and almost fell.

But then a stronger noise, a loud boom rose even above all the other noises. The cannon had fired again, this time straight into the monster's face. Fire and smoke filled the screen for a long time, and all they could hear was rumbling as the buildings in Junon fought to stay standing, and terrified voices asking what had happened.

"Is it dead now?" Cid whispered, not realizing that ashes from his cigarette were falling on the expensive carpet.

Scarlet was asking the same question over the phone, but it was answered when a loud cheer rose. The smoke finally evaporated enough that they could see the sky again.

The Weapon was nowhere to be seen, but the men were still cheering. Scarlet demanded to know what was happening, and the camera was soon taken from its stand and brought to the window. Aimed down, they could all see the dead and smoking Weapon laying in the water, slowly sinking.

Cid wooted and grabbed Aeris, dancing around a few spins. Nanaki let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding back, and Barret nodded appraisingly.

"Well done." Scarlet was saying over the phone, again and again, before she calmed down enough to demand for a report on damages and a whole analysis as to what the Weapon was and if there were other ways to kill it.

Rufus shook his head slowly before turning the TV off with a remote. "Well, they obviously can be killed with the Sister Ray. But I doubt we'll be so lucky that they'll all try to attack Junon like that. Captain Highwind, get ready to leave to Rocket Town as soon as possible. And I'm not telling you again, put out the cigarette."

* * *

Vincent had searched the airship quickly, and had found a few weapons he could use. A gun with three bullets, a pocket knife and a heavy wrench. He'd hidden them all into his black clothes, and was heading off back to the deck when he thought he could feel the ship give a soft lurch. He recognized it from before; someone had just turned the main engines on. The ship was getting ready to leave. He'd just found the determination and weapons to go and take care of Hojo for good, and now the ship was about to take off?!

He hurried up to the deck and swore under his breath when he saw half the crew near the ladder. They were looking over the railing and shouting at whoever was coming up or going down. Vincent quickly hid into nearby shadows and concentrated on listening what was being said, as much as he could hear over the noises of the engines.

The crew were shouting questions like "Where are we going?" over the railing, and Vincent's guess was proven right when Highwind's blond head soon popped over the railing and screamed for the men to shut up and give him some room. The captain swung himself over the railing easily, and was immediately surrounded by the crew. Vincent couldn't hear anything they were saying, and considered moving closer or just joining the group when another person climbed over the railing. He recognized the woman as Shera, they'd been introduced to each other after the woman and Marlene had been freed. He felt a quick stab of pain when he remembered how the little girl had been scared by his eyes. Barret had actually told her she didn't need to fear him, that he was one of the good guys, but the girl hadn't seemed convinced.

A man followed Shera, and Vincent recognized him as Reeve. One of the Turks, Rude, was up next. Tifa followed Rude, and noticed him lurking in the shadows. The fighter said something quickly to Shera and headed his way. Vincent checked that his weapons were hidden, and put on a mask of indifference while one last man climbed over the railing.

"Vincent. We'll be heading off to Rocket Town soon. Do you want to come, or stay here in Midgar?" Tifa asked, not so nervous around him as she had been before. Vincent noticed that her eyes were almost as red as his own.

"... I get a choice?"

"Of course."

"What are you doing in Rocket Town?" he asked, even though he had no intention of going. If they'd leave him in Midgar, he'd do his best to rid the world of Hojo.

Tifa explained the plan to him, and even though he doubted their success, he wished them luck. The Highwind would make a quick stop at Junon and pick up the bomb that they'd fly to the Meteor with the rocket. By the time she was done, Cid was already shouting that everyone who wasn't going should get off the ship, so Vincent started to head towards the ladder down to the Midgar plate. He expected to be stopped and searched at any moment, but the crew was too busy checking everything and tying down anything that wasn't tied down already to notice him.

Reeve and Shera were saying their goodbyes near the ladder. Vincent gave them their privacy and quickly stepped over the railing and started to descend. He was already halfway down when Reeve stepped over the railing, and by the time he was down, Cid was already screaming for the executive to hurry up.

Vincent had hoped that he'd get to be alone once he reached the ground, or the plate, to be exact, but Aeris and Nanaki were standing at the ladder's bottom. She greeted him with a warm smile before turning her eyes back up, to watch Reeve come down. Nanaki was less friendly, but not rude to him. He made a move to leave the two, but the beast gave him a look that told him to stay still.

Reeve was soon down, and the ladder was quickly pulled up as the ship took off. Aeris waved at it, and all four watched it go until it was just a spot in the darkening sky, beneath the burning Meteor.

"Do you think they have any chance of succeeding?" Reeve said quietly, glancing over at Aeris.

"We can hope." was all she said.

Vincent took a closer look at the man he'd been told was behind Cait Sith. He remembered the robot only very vaguely from Nibelheim, where he'd watched the world through Chaos's eyes, not able to do anything. The robot had given its artificial life at the Temple of the Ancients, before he'd had a chance to see it again.

Reeve was Shin-Ra, but Aeris and the others seemed to trust him. Vincent couldn't remember him from before his long sleep, but the man clearly was too young to have been an executive almost thirty years ago. Still, he looked too old for his true years. Too much worrying and living amongst the other executives, Vincent suspected.

Suddenly, Aeris turned to them, giving the three one of her sunny smiles. "Would you like to come with me to the slums? I used to live there for a while, in this old, abandoned church. I'd like to see how it and my flowers are doing."

Nanaki nodded and smiled. "I'd like to see that. I didn't know anything could grow in this kind of land."

"How about you two?" Aeris cocked her head and looked at Reeve and Vincent. The ex-Turk blinked but nodded eventually, suspecting that they wouldn't let him go off on his own anyway.

"Any break from the HQ is welcome." Reeve said with a smile.

Aeris nodded, still smiling, and to the ex-Turk's surprise, took a gentle hold of Vincent's arm. He looked down at her, mouth slightly open with surprise, but she just smiled at him. "Shall we?"

Reeve lead them to the closest station and they took a train down to the slums. Sector seven was still a mess of rubble and broken lives, but small huts had risen here and there amongst the destruction. Sector six, the Wall Market was still as busy and occupied as usually. Aeris led them past that into Sector five.

"When I came to Midgar, I didn't know anyone here. I just knew that my parents were held by Shin-Ra. I got up to the plate, guessing that they were at the HQ. But of course I couldn't get in. I didn't have enough money, didn't know anyone to get to stay up there. So I came down here. Eventually I ended up in Sector five, and found this old, abandoned church. I don't think anyone had been there in years and years, everything was covered in dust, some of the windows broken, the floor torn up in places... but in one of those spots, there was earth showing. Living earth, with weeds. I moved in there, nursed the land, sometimes got into contact with mother through it. And flowers started to grow there."

She'd lead them through the shacks and small groups of people, talking quietly to each other about the darkening sky. The Meteor was blazing like a small sun. And finally they reached the church she'd talked about, deep in the sector's heart, away from the busier streets and alleys.

"People don't come here that often, there are no shops and only a few houses in the neighbourhood. But the church has always been left alone. I've heard whisperings of something bad happening here at one point or another, but when in the church, I can't feel anything vicious there. Just peace and quiet."

Reeve helped her push open one of the doors. It had almost rusted shut with no one using it. The four stepped in, and stopped at the door.

A group of kids, maybe four or five, were kneeling or sitting by the flowers, holding small shovels or rakes, and cans of water. Their faces were smeared with dirt, and they were all staring at the four of them, eyes wide with surprise. The two boys of the group seemed almost ready to attack them until one of the girls stood up and pointed at Aeris, smiling.

"You came back, flower lady! We've been taking care of your flowers when you were gone!"

Aeris had lifted a hand to her mouth to hide her surprise, but she lowered it and smiled, so happy that even her eyes smiled. She walked towards the children who got up and tried to dust their dirty clothes a bit.

"I can see that... you've taken such good care of them. They look so beautiful... thank you." She kneeled by the flowers and smiled at the children, who gathered around her and started to talk, all at once, telling her what they'd done.

Reeve smiled and looked at Nanaki and Vincent. "Shera told me of the flowers here, but I didn't really believe it until I see them now. Wonderful."

"I feel like we're almost intruding here..." Nanaki muttered, watching Aeris talking with the excited children. She was whispering with the girls now, and pointing at the three of them. The three girls giggled and huddled together for a moment before turning to the door, their hands behind their backs. They started to walk towards the three men, Aeris and the two boys watching them by the flower bed. Vincent felt like escaping before the girls reached them. Not that there was anything scary in three little girls, but a front of short creatures with knowing smiles on their faces, approaching him... there was something deeply unsettling in that.

The girls stopped three feet from them, now looking more shy than anything. They still had their hands behind their backs, and they were looking at each other for courage.

"Go on!" Aeris called from the flowers, and one of the girls, the one standing in front of Reeve, gathered her courage and presented him with a small, yellow flower. A wide smile spread on the executive's face, and he bowed low and accepted the flower, thanking her warmly.

The second girl was slower in giving Nanaki a red blossom, but when the beast bowed his head so that she could attack the flower to his mane, the small girl giggled and even petted his long hairs.

Encouraged by the other two, the third looked up at Vincent, smiled shyly and offered him a tiny red flower, its petals the shape of hearts. He felt a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as he leaned down and accepted the flower with his left hand. "Thank you..." he whispered, and the girl blushed and giggled before turning and running back to the flowers and Aeris laughing. The two other girls followed their friend.

Vincent looked at the flower, held gently in his once again human hand. It was so tiny, barely the length of his little finger. He could break it so easily if he just squeezed his palm to a fist. Break the petals, tear them into small, blood-red shreds.

Instead, he brought it up to his face and smelled its summery fragrance before pinning it gently to his shirt.

* * *

The children ran off soon after that, promising Aeris that they'd come to take care of the flowers again the next day. She seemed far happier than before now that she'd seen her flowers and what had been her home in Midgar.

"Things were, in a way, so much better. Although of course I didn't think so back then, but at least mother was alive, and there was no Meteor to worry about..." she said as they got ready to return to the HQ. The sun had already set, but the Meteor and the few streetlights of the slums lighted their way.

"There's still hope. Highwind and the others will be in Junon soon, and maybe they'll get to Rocket Town as early as tomorrow morning." Reeve comforted her, and the others as well. "As soon as the Meteor's out of the way, we'll have plenty of time to deal with the Weapons and Sephiroth."

"And Hojo." Nanaki reminded them.

"... As soon as we get back to the HQ, I'm going to break into his laboratory and take care of Hojo."

The other three stopped to stare at him. Vincent took a few more steps before realizing it. He turned and blinked at the surprised expressions. "What?"

"Mr. Valentine, several Soldiers have tried, in vain, to breach through his barriers. Even the Turks failed." Reeve said, spreading his hands with frustration. "We want to get to him, but so far it has proven impossible."

"All credit to your Turks and Soldiers, but... I am one of Hojo's pets. I have more hate towards him than they put together. I will get in." Vincent commented calmly. The executive opened his mouth to object, but couldn't get a word out.

Aeris smiled and shook her head. Taking a few steps forward, she rested her hand on Vincent's forearm. "I know you hate him, and I agree that he must be dealt with, but don't go there blinded by rage. You'll only get hurt, and there are those of us who don't want to see you hurt, Vincent."

Nanaki stepped forward, and Vincent was sure he would say something along the same lines, although with none of the 'liking'. "I'm coming with you."

"Nanaki?" Aeris turned to the beast, her grip tightening on Vincent's arm.

"It may be foolishness, but we have to get rid of him before he can become even more dangerous than he already is. I'll go with Valentine. I'm sure we can get a few Turks and Soldiers to accompany us." He glanced over at Reeve, who stared for a moment before nodding.

"Yeah, sure, but... this isn't the sanest thing to do. He's going to be ruthless."

"We live in mad times." Vincent commented, turned and continued to walk, Aeris still holding onto his arm.

"Why? Why now?" she whispered as they walked towards the train station, Nanaki and Reeve a bit behind.

"When else? Now, he still hasn't done anything drastic, which he will do. We'll have a chance to stop him before that."

"But Vincent..."

"I want to at least try. I know it may be the last thing I do, but I have to. For myself, but also for Lucretia, Sephiroth, Cloud, Zackery... and you and your parents." Vincent stared straight ahead while he spoke, calmly and steadily, neither his voice nor his steps faltering. "I used to be a Turk, back when it still meant something. I know his tricks. I won't rest until the world is free of him."

Aeris turned her eyes from his face to look where they were going. She bit her lip, looked over her shoulder at Nanaki and Reeve, and then back ahead. "Well then. If you're sure."

"I am, Aeris."

"I'm coming as well."

Vincent stopped and opened his mouth to protest.

"You included me and my parents in the list on who you were doing it for. I have as much of a right to be there as you, then. And I will."

"Aeris, it'll be foolish, you--" Nanaki attempted, but she interrupted him as well.

"This coming from the first to join Vincent's foolish crusade? And don't give me that look, Nanaki. I can fight. And more importantly, I can heal you after Hojo..." she fell quiet and shrugged. "I'm coming too."

Aeris turned to Reeve, who looked like he wished he'd be anywhere else but right there. "Reeve, do you think you can get some of the Soldiers and Turks to help us? Today?"

* * *

Zax lay on his back, staring up at the wooden ceiling of the small cabin, reliving that day over and over again. He could remember the ground shaking beneath them, the sneaking horror that they were all going to die. But it didn't even come close to comparing to the horror of what he'd just heard.

Cloud had killed Ifalna. Not entirely intentionally, not even realizing that it was her. The ground was shaking worse now, and some of the others were running away already. Barret was shouting something about getting to the airship, but he wasn't really paying attention. The Soldier was still staring at the icy wall ahead, his sword still embedded in it. All his senses told him to run for his life, but he knew that when he'd turn around, he'd have to face Cloud.

Time was running out, and even the clone seemed to realize it. Sephiroth had disappeared somewhere from his earlier perch, and something was moving behind the wall which he'd previously occupied. Zax cringed when a shy hand tugged at the sleeve of his shirt.

"Zax? ... I think we should--" Cloud started, but fell silent when in one fluid movement the Soldier grabbed his sword, pulled it out and turned to face the blond.

They stared at each other for a moment that seemed to last an eternity. Barret was still shouting, but his voice was far from them now. The sound of the room collapsing was far louder.

Zax forced his emotions deep inside of himself when those blue eyes he'd gotten so used to looked up to him, determined but pleading. His heart was ice when those thin lips parted and spoke:

"If I spill the blood of the innocents, will you still... love me?"

Zax hadn't answered. He just ran. He ran until he reached the others and past them, not caring about their words. He ran past all three walls of wind, across the snaking paths and between the black teeth of the earth, sticking out through the mist. He could see the Highwind, but he ignored it. He ran all the way to the top of the cliff and beyond.

He ran until the cold got to him.

* * *

Vincent had discarded the weapons he'd taken from the Highwind when Reno had offered to take him to the Turk's armoury, to 'get some real guns', as the redhead put it. There were a lot more weapons there than he remembered, and it took a while for him to find a few that he liked. A small pistol which he hid into his clothes, and a sniper rifle. Neither had any special Mako abilities, unlike most other weapons there.

Satisfied with his choices and ready to face Hojo, Vincent turned to leave. But Reno was still there, his thin frame blocking the door. The ex-Turk raised an eyebrow at him.

"You know, the Prez asked me to come with you guys when Reeve gave him the news about this. So don't give me that attitude, or my spells just might miss." The Turk said.

Vincent felt his chest shaking with quiet laughter, which only seemed to irritate Reno. The redhead even pulled out his fighting rod and poked into his direction with it.

"Stop laughing, you creep. I don't know what Elena sees in you, or that Cetra girl for that matter."

"Jealous?" Vincent asked, genuinely amused.

"No! I just don't believe you've got what it takes to become Elena's Savior of the Turks or whatever. Were you even serious when you promised to help us?" Reno had lowered his weapon now, but was still eyeing him ferociously, which, with pale eyes like that and the scars underneath his eyes was an unnerving sight. Not to Vincent, though, he'd seen so much worse, but he could imagine the Turk's victims found him quite frightening.

"Interesting choice of words there." Vincent commented and held back his smile at Reno's confused expression.

"What?"

"You said 'when you promised to help US', not 'her'."

"…" Reno glared at him.

"But yes, I was serious. I do not kid around. I may not believe any of us will be alive to 'save the Turks', but if we do survive, I might as well do something about that attitude of yours."

Reno's eyes thinned to slits, but Vincent didn't give him a chance to even open his mouth.

"Save it for Hojo, boy. For now, we could start to help the Turk's reputation by not being there late." He stepped forwards determinedly and Reno instinctively moved out of the way, and let him out of the door. Vincent allowed himself a small smirk when he heard the arrogant Turk swearing up a storm before running after him.

They quickly reached Hojo's floor. The elevators weren't considered safe anymore, so they'd taken the stairs. Guarding the door was a small group of nervous Soldiers. The others hadn't arrived yet.

Hojo's laboratory took most of this floor, and all of the floor above. But the stairs leading up to the 68th floor were blocked. They'd been told that the upper floor was completely overrun by monsters, and there was no way in there through the staircase, not from above nor from below. The only way to get there would be by the elevator that joined the laboratories, and that was deep inside Hojo's territory.

"What's going on?" Vincent asked the guards, who saluted either him or Reno, it didn't matter to him.

"Nothing out of the creepy ordinary, which is to say, a lot of blood-chilling screaming and roaring, but they haven't attempted to break out. We don't know what's going on or where they are, or how many, as the security cameras were broken as soon as Professor Hojo locked himself in there." One soldier reported, holding his rifle tight. "They've been quiet for a while now, perhaps it's bedtime or something." The other Soldiers laughed nervously at his joke while eyeing the locked and blocked door just as nervously.

The men gave Vincent and Reno all the information on the floor, the security and what they might find inside. Nanaki, Aeris and a few Soldiers arrived soon after them, and once the Soldier was done, they checked their equipment and got ready.

Vincent looked up from his weapons, and was startled to see that they were all looking at him. "... What?"

Reno let out a short laugh. "It's your show, man. What do you want to do?"

Others nodded when Vincent looked at them. Even Nanaki. He blinked a few times and felt a strange warmth inside, a feeling that had nothing to do with pain, grief or suffering.

Vincent cleared his throat and looked up. "All right. Once we get the door open, Nanaki, you and I will go in first. Reno, you follow us and then the Soldiers. Aeris, you stay in the back, it's more likely we'll need you healing than fighting. We'll probably have to go through Hojo's helpers before reaching him. They'll try to slow us, but we can't let them. Hojo may be locked in there but he'll have a way out." He locked eyes with Reno, knowing that the Turk would be most used to what he said next. "We can't leave anyone alive. If the other scientist are loyal to Hojo, they'll fight us. If they're his victims, they're being controlled. Hojo is the one we need to kill. Without mercy. No matter what he tries to say or do."

"Can't he teleport as well?" Nanaki asked, remembering how the professor had left them at the Northern Crater and at Nibelheim.

Vincent nodded. "Yes, he can. That's why we have to find him as soon as possible. And I'm hoping your nose will help with that."

Nanaki nodded.

"There may be a few traps, the Soldiers who attempted to confront Hojo earlier walked into a few. I'll try to mark or disarm them as I go, but you have to be careful. Step where I step, until we're in the laboratory. It's not likely there'll be traps there. They'd be in danger of stepping into one themselves." He couldn't think of anything else to say, so he just nodded. "Good luck. Let's get the door open."

The guards started to remove the heavy crates that blocked the door from them. The crates were to slow Hojo's helpers if they got out, while the lock kept them out of the laboratory.

"The last guys got in with the keycard, but Hojo's done something to the locking system and the card's useless now. We've tried it a few times." One guard explained to Vincent. "You could try to override the card system with the proper codes..."

Vincent eyed the door and the small slit on the wall. Entering the proper keycard would open the door, but without the keycard you could still get in by typing an emergency code into the keypad underneath the slit. "Who has the codes?"

"... No idea. The executives should have some of them, but Hojo's codes... he's always been a suspicious bastard, I guess he'd keep them to himself."

The ex-Turk said nothing, just nodded and motioned for the young man to step aside. When Vincent pulled his new gun out, he could feel the tension in the small room rising. He could run around asking for the codes, and try to break in that way. But there was an easier, faster way.

"Watch out." He hoped they'd all turned away from the door before he put six bullets into the wall, around the keypad and the card slot. Someone yelped behind him, hopefully just out of surprise.

Electricity crackled from the bullet holes while Vincent lowered the barrel a bit, aimed for a second and sent two more bullets straight into the slot, to either end. The locking system started to smoke and several small explosions startled them enough that no one noticed how the door slid open noiselessly.

"You can look up now." Vincent said and lifted his gun, peering into the dimly lit hallway. Beyond the thin curtain of smoke, nothing moved.

Nanaki stepped to his side, and growled immediately after smelling the air coming from beyond the door. "That smell... I hoped I'd never have to return here."

"Let's go. There's no time to waste." Vincent kept his eyes ahead, trusting that the others would do as he had instructed them. He knew that the Soldiers would follow orders, and he dared to trust that Aeris would stay in the back, but Nanaki and Reno... the Turk had an attitude problem, and Vincent suspected that given the chance to get Hojo, Nanaki wouldn't mind disobeying. But for now, the great beast stepped into the hallway by his side, and the Turk followed just a few steps behind. The guards wished them good luck, their weapons now out in case something got past the group and to the door.

The few Soldiers followed Reno, and as Aeris stepped into the darkness, the guards were already piling a few crates up to block the now open door. Light from the small room didn't reach far into the laboratory, and soon it was completely dark, except for a few dim lights on the wall. Metal creaked somewhere ahead, and was followed by a muted roar.

They had turned to the right after the door, and once Aeris was in, Vincent and Nanaki had already reached another door. It was slightly open, revealing a dimly lit control room with desks and computers. Nanaki poked his head in for a moment. "No one there." He whispered quietly. Vincent nodded and continued, keeping an eye out for possible traps. His back was against the curving wall as he rounded a corner. Ahead of him was now a long hallway, which soon forked to the right, towards small prison cells. The laboratory itself was straight down the hall from where they were standing.

But the hallway was long.

"Vincent..." Nanaki said with a low voice as they stared into the shadows ahead. There was some light in the laboratory, lighting the end of their path. "Do you see them?"

"Six creatures. In the shadows. They're good. And quiet." The ex-Turk answered quietly, keeping his eyes straight ahead. It made it easier to keep an eye on the creatures that slithered across the walls and the ceiling towards them. Invisible, except for eyes that could see in the dark. "I can take out at least three before they reach us."

"Be my guest." Nanaki muttered and casually took a few steps ahead, towards two of the creatures which were coming towards them on his side.

Vincent looked over his shoulder at Reno who seemed oblivious of the approaching enemies. The Turk was eyeing the hallway suspiciously, but he couldn't see the creatures. "Get ready."

"I was born ready." Reno answered but yelped with surprise when Vincent's gun went off. The bullet clearly hit something, as there was a screech and a thud as something fell to the floor.

Reno, the Soldiers and Aeris couldn't really make out what was approaching them, but now they could hear the creatures. Another one fell to Vincent's bullet, and by the time he dropped the promised third, the fourth was already fighting with Nanaki.

The Turk got himself together and aimed his lightning rod at the shadows near the ceiling ahead. The crackling ball of electricity lightened the whole area for long enough that the Soldiers took aim and finished off the last three creatures. When the light died, the hallway was quiet again. It had taken only a few seconds.

"... Six creatures?" Nanaki muttered and shook himself to throw off the enemy's blood that had covered his fur.

"A small miscalculation." Vincent commented and got ready to fire when they heard running from the hall to the cells. This time the enemies were normal Shin-Ra guards, but they attacked even though they could see the Turk and the Soldiers in the small group. Vincent and the Soldiers shot them down.

"This is too easy..." Reno muttered as they hurried past the hall, towards the laboratory. "These guys are weak!"

"Hojo didn't leave them here to kill us, he left them to delay us." Vincent answered, not bothering to turn and face the younger Turk. From the corner of his eye he caught movement near the ceiling again, and shot the shadow creature down without even stopping. Nanaki was a few steps ahead of him, and reached the laboratory first. Vincent had a second to wonder why the beast stopped so suddenly before he reached the doorway as well, and glimpsed up.

The ceiling was moving. It was a living, breathing mass of the strange shadow creatures. And their entrance had been noticed.

Reno almost bumped to him and swore. But there was light enough in the laboratory that everyone could see something of the creatures who were quickly turning all their attention to them.

"This could be bad." Nanaki muttered, taking a cautious step back.

Reno snorted. "Bad? No, this is what we Turks like to call fucked in the a--"

"Less talk, more killing." Nanaki interrupted and tried to get a clear idea of the whole situation. Vincent was already firing his gun, and the Soldiers pushed past them into the room, opening fire. The beast figured out that while the creatures were up in the ceiling, the easiest way for him to reach them would be by a spell. And since he was especially fond of the fire-based spells, he aimed one to the middle of a larger group of the creatures.

The effect of the fire-spell made even the Soldiers stop shooting.

The burning creatures screeched with agony and fell to the floor where they were consumed by the fire. It had spread amongst them like they were dry grass. The fastest creatures had fled from the fire, squealing with fear.

There was a momentary silence as the creatures stopped and stared down at their smoking siblings. Then they all started to howl like mad and some jumped down to the floor. The Soldiers opened fire again, swearing with devotion that would make Cid weep tears of joy.

"Aeris, fire them!" Nanaki shouted and started to weave another spell when someone suddenly grabbed his tail and started to pull him to the right. Completely surprised, the beast looked back to find an excited Reno tugging him along. "What in the name of Odin are you doing?!" Nanaki screamed.

"Come on, furball! I need your help!" The Turk shouted and dragged him into the laboratory, and to a tank by the wall, nearly as tall as the man himself. Nanaki had no idea what the redhead was planning, and was about to pull his tail free when he saw the text on the side of the tank. His one working eye went wide.

"You're mad!" Nanaki threw the rest of his body flat on the floor and covered his head with his large front paws. He was sure he could hear Reno laughing like he indeed had lost his mind, but when the Turk opened the valve and the gas burst out of the tank with great force, all he could hear was the horrified screeching of the creatures as the gas met the fiery tip of his tail, held still by Reno. The resulting ball of fire filled half of the room, and burning creatures fell from the ceiling like ripe fruits.

The fireball was gone almost as quickly as it had appeared, but the effect was unbelievable. When Nanaki dared to lift a paw, he saw the floor full of smoking and still burning creatures. The ones which had survived were huddling in the far corners of the room. Behind him, Reno was still holding his tail, staring at the destruction with a half-mad glint in his eyes. His sleeve was gone and the skin of his arm burned, but the Turk didn't seem to mind.

Vincent had noticed the Turk dragging Nanaki off to the side, but he'd had no idea what was going on. That was still a bit unclear to him, but he had to admit that Reno had found a quick and easy way to get rid of most of the creatures. The Soldiers, also startled by the fire storm, opened themselves from the protective balls their bodies had curled into, and after taking a moment to take in the scene ahead of them started to shoot the rest of the creatures down. Vincent just stared at Reno while Aeris ran past him to cure the Turk's arm.

The redhead had not only endangered his own life, but Nanaki's as well. All of their lives! The whole tank could have exploded, the fire could have consumed them all, anything could have gone wrong! No sane person would have even attempted such a thing!

But. Sane people wouldn't become Turks, either. So even though Vincent wanted to really hurt the Turk, he also had to admire his guts. But just a bit.

While Aeris tended to Reno and the Soldiers took care of the small groups of creatures left alive, Nanaki wobbled over to Vincent on very shaky legs.

"Are you all right?" Vincent asked, even though he knew they couldn't afford to waste any time.

Nanaki nodded, his fur a bit singed. "Yeah. But... if that maniac EVER comes near me AGAIN, I will kill him myself. Friend or foe, he's dead."

"Don't be so high and mighty!" Reno called out, smirking. "We needed to get rid of them as fast as possible, right? That was easier and faster than trying to time a fire spell and the burst of gas together. It stinks worse than Palmer, but they're dead."

As soon as Aeris had cured Reno's arm the small group started towards the back of the lower floor of the laboratory, knowing they'd find an elevator there. There had been no sign of Hojo anywhere so far, and no other monsters. After the fireball the shadow creatures didn't attempt to attack again, and the Soldiers didn't even bother to kill all of them off.

They reached the elevator without further trouble, but stopped there.

"Hojo must know that we're coming. We've had it fairly easy so far, but if he's up there..." Vincent left the sentence hanging. They all could imagine what would wait for them up in the 68th floor. "It's not wise for all of us to go up there at once. I, Reno and you three," he pointed at three of the five Soldiers, "we'll go first. The rest of you, follow once we send the elevator back here." He avoided looking at Aeris or Nanaki in the eye when he stepped into the elevator after the Soldiers and Reno. He'd deliberately left the two behind as he knew they'd immediately go for Hojo the moment they saw him, regardless of any danger. He knew it because that's what he'd do. Vincent felt a little selfish, knowing that he'd done it partly so that he'd get a head start at killing Hojo, but that could wait. Get rid of the bastard now, worry about morals later.

The door closed painfully slowly, and the noise the elevator made as it started to rise seemed loud enough for everyone in the HQ to hear. Hojo might have already teleported away days ago, or at the very latest when he'd heard them approaching. But Vincent had known Hojo long enough to know that the man was horribly vain and indulged in every opportunity to show his superiority to anyone. He trusted that Hojo would have stayed, just to mock them.

All five were ready to attack as soon as they could see the upper floor. Weapons and spells ready to be aimed and released as soon as they'd see the floor. But when they saw it, it was all they saw. No Hojo, no monsters. Just a very messy floor. Not a creature in sight. Vincent immediately lifted his eyes to the ceiling, but could only see a few working lights up there.

They exited the elevator and send it back down. The three Soldiers moved deeper into the laboratory while Vincent and Reno waited for the others.

There was a large glass tube almost in the middle of the messy room, and a row of smaller ones by the rounded wall behind it. They were all empty. The floor was littered with trash, torn clothes, empty food tins and things Vincent didn't care to inspect any closer. The smell was horrible.

One of the Soldiers climbed up to the small control room, only to poke his head out after a moment, shaking it to let them know that it was empty. But Vincent had a bad feeling. Something was wrong. They were being fooled, lulled into thinking they were safe. The elevator was coming up again, indeed making a quite loud noise, but there was no sign of life anywhere. No movement.

"The fucker's gone." Reno muttered and swore, kicking an empty tin can across the room.

"I don't think so." Vincent said with a low voice, his red eyes keeping a close watch around the room as the elevator screeched to a halt behind them, and the door opened.

"You don't think so?! Well where the hell is he then? Hiding under all this shit?"

"I don't know. But it isn't his style to just leave like that."

"You know me too well, Mr. Valentine."

Vincent's gun was aimed at Hojo faster than he could turn his head to see the man. He had pulled the trigger halfway already when he froze.

The scientist was standing there, across the room. He must have entered it through the door leading to the hallway to the stairs. He wasn't alone. Behind him were three large creatures, heavily built and holding the two squirming Soldiers threateningly.

"I must admit, I'm impressed how quickly you got here. If you hadn't figured out their weakness, you'd still be fighting my dark army. Well, those of them still in the HQ. I suppose most of them have already spread all over Midgar." Hojo said, laughter in his eyes as he saw their futile rage. They couldn't attack him as long as he held the two Soldiers prisoner. The 'good guys' would never kill their own, not even to save their own skins.

"What are you talking about?" Reno asked, making Vincent cringe. The Turk was saying exactly what Hojo wanted them to say. He was a bit curious himself, but more interested in finding a way to kill the madman.

"Jenova's army. Granted, they don't have any of her special traits or abilities, but they will help her and bring this nest of sin to its knees. They can get anywhere they wish through the sewers, and they will. They're curious little creatures. Whereas these ones, their masters..." he gestured at the three monsters, "these ones aren't so much curious as they are vicious."

True to his words, one creature got a bit carried away and held the Soldier tighter. The snap startled them all, but the pained scream was muffled by the large, slightly human hand that covered most of the man's face.

Hojo was smirking, but seemed a bit annoyed when he looked at them. "The Turk, the Cetra and the monster from Cosmo Canyon... is that all? I was expecting to see the Soldier with you. Cloud already saw it wiser to join the winner's side, but that oaf was always too stupid for his own good. Maybe it finally got him killed."

Aeris opened her mouth and even took a step closer, but Vincent lifted his arm and silenced her. "He's just trying to anger us, Aeris. Don't listen to him."

Hojo laughed and shook his head. "Even after all these years, Vincent, you still think you know everything? Just because you had it tough as a child, because you were a Turk, because Lucretia loved you and not me, you still think you know everything?"

"No, I don't." Vincent said, trying very hard to obey his own words and not let the man get to him. He took two steps towards Hojo, still keeping his gun aimed at the man's head. "I don't know everything, and I never will. But I know you, Hojo. I know your dark secrets and plans." The monsters didn't seem to care that he was walking slowly towards them. They still had tight grips of the Soldiers, but didn't harm them further. "And I know your lies."

Hojo actually took a few steps towards him, away from the security of his pawns. The three Soldiers left, two standing in front of Aeris and the last one up near the control room, had their weapons pointed at the monsters. Vincent had Hojo in his sights. But the scientist still approached him, smirking.

"You don't know anything, Vincent. You thought that Cloud was just a hapless victim, and by rescuing him you'd help him. When you were actually helping me and Jenova. You thought that by helping him you could ease the pain of never being there for your son. But it didn't help, did it?"

"Shut up." Vincent said while his hand started to shake. He tried to keep it still, but Hojo had already noticed it. The scientist smirked and continued.

"You call me a liar, but I can see that you are starting to realize the truth in my words. You aren't a stupid man, Vincent, just... mislead, shall we say. But it's not too late yet. You are one of the royal family. You aren't one of Her blood, but you are the father of Sephiroth. Our god."

Vincent felt a stab of pain when Hojo so casually revealed his secret to all these strangers. He tried to ignore it, but he could feel the waves of disbelief from them. Aeris had known, but the others had had no idea. And now they all knew. His hand shook even worse while he continued to approach Hojo. But now the monsters seemed to come to the conclusion that he was getting too near. The Soldiers cried with pain and Vincent thought he heard a few ribs snap, so he stopped. But Hojo had approached him as well, and they were now only twenty feet from each other.

"Face it, Vincent. Everything you've ever loved or just cared about, you've tainted. But She doesn't mind it. Things like that don't matter to Her. Especially since your effect on these people has only strengthened Her grip on them. See, you've already been working for Her, without knowing it. Why don't you stop pretending, realize where your loyalties should lie, and just come to our side? She won't turn you away."

"The only reason..." Vincent whispered with a shaky voice, "that I'd ever come near her, or you, is so that I can make absolutely sure my bullets won't miss their targets."

Hojo's smirk faltered slightly, and his eyes hardened. "I see. I offer you a hand in peace and brotherhood, and you spit on it. She might be more tolerant of such behaviour, but I am not." The scientist cocked his head a bit to the side to address his monsters. "Kill one."

They didn't have time to move or react before the monster had already snapped the Soldier's neck like a twig. The man up near the control room screamed with rage and fired his weapon. It pierced the monster's eye, exploding blood and other fluids all around it. The monster staggered and almost fell, but didn't even let out a sound of pain. In a moment it had regained its balance, and stood still, the dead Soldier limp in its hands.

"It won't be that easy." Hojo said and shook his head. Vincent could feel the hairs at the back of his neck stand up suddenly. And in the same heartbeat he realized that the floor was shaking. Something was approaching them. Something big. But then he noticed that in front of him, Hojo was beginning to fade. The bastard was teleporting. He'd get away yet again!

Vincent forgot everything else and just lunged at the man before Hojo would disappear completely. The scientist backed away, surprised. He was almost gone from the laboratory, but Vincent was right in front of him, his left hand, no longer covered by the metal claw, reaching out for him, eager fingers grabbing out for any kind of hold on him.

The door exploded into the room before the three monsters were joined with two others and a group of Shin-Ra guards, armed to the teeth. The Soldier still captured by the monster didn't have time to fear for his life before his neck was broken as well. The three remaining immediately opened fire on the guards, figuring that they could still be killed. They dashed for some kind of cover while the guards also opened fire, one Soldier pulling Aeris down with him. She had just stood there, staring at the spot where Vincent and Hojo had disappeared from.

* * *

Far down in the deep scar, away from curious eyes and hostile hands, safely burrowed into the almost healthy earth beneath a shell of magical protection. Like in the womb of the very earth. The air somewhere far up there was cold, but down here it was warm. The earth was warm. The Lifestream was working hard there to heal the land, to fight the ones who tried to hurt it.

"But now it just keeps us safe. Everything it tries to do to get rid of us just helps us. The Lifestream it uses to fight us, gives us power. The mighty Weapons it sent to destroy everything harmful keeps our enemies busy. The magic barrier takes care of the rest. We're quite safe here, my little puppet."

The voice was low, slightly feminine, and it almost purred with pleasure. Laying like this, his head in her lap, he could almost feel her voice. Feel the truth in the words.

It truly was safe here, like she promised. They'd never hurt him again, they wouldn't look down at him, call him a monster, a murderer. They'd never leave him again, not after saying they cared for him and they'd forgive him. All they did was lie. Lie to him and hurt him.

"You're thinking about them again, my child..." she purred and stroked his hair, immediately calming his turbulent mind. Cloud sighed and closed his eyes, letting her warm hands take away all his pain and sorrow.

She'd keep him safe. She'd never leave him. She promised. And she never lied.

"We wait here just a little longer, and the Meteor and the Weapons will take care of everything for us. Then we can rise from here, meet with Hojo and the servants he's created... and then the world will be ours. I'll be its god, and you'll be by my side always, won't you? My sweet child."

"... Yes."

But he never called her Mother. Even when she asked him to.

-

* * *

A.N: Aaaaaah! Zax's gonna be in AC! Happy happy joy joy!

ShiAne, your comment made me soooo happy... :D But then again, I am a twisted person. I honestly don't mean to be so mean to Cloud... erm... Ahh, who am I kidding.

Thank you also very much for Crystaline Dragon for your comment! :)

I now (finally!) have the basic plot in mind on how this is going to go, all the way to the end. I just have no idea if it's gonna be a happy ending or not. Could go either way. :) Should I be nice or mean? Please leave a review, and thank you for reading! The next chapter should be out sooner, as I already have a lot of it written.


	38. 2, Chapter Twenty

Warnings: Violence and bad language in yet another chapter! -Gasp!- I still make no claim to owning anyone in this story here. I just write this for fun.

Thank you ShiAne for the review! :D

* * *

**Chapter Twenty: Rocket Dive**

-

The days were slow near the Knowlespole. Even with the huge Meteor now in clear sight, there was no rush, no hurry, and very little to fear. The few monsters didn't really care about anything from the sky, all they had to worry about was each other and the cold. Mr. Holzoff liked to say that after near twenty years up there, in the cold, all alone, death might be a nice change. Not that he didn't appreciate his company. Zax would smile up until that, but then the old man would start going on about him being so young; he should've seen more of the world before giving up like this. Didn't he have any friends, family? Anyone who'd miss him?

When he'd mentioned that he didn't even know if his parents were alive anymore, Mr. Holzoff said that this was the time to find out! Not that he was in any kind of hurry to get rid of him, no no! It was quite lonely up here and all company was highly appreciated!

When Zax would ask why the man didn't just go back home, Mr. Holzoff would mutter something about his wife and change the subject, usually to snow. He talked about snow a lot. Zax had had no idea of all the different types of snow that there were. Powder snow, hard-packed snow, the more watery type, icy snow, large, slow snowflakes, small, sharp ones and on and on. But he could just tune it all out and think of nothing. Just stare at the snow instead of talking about it. The man would eventually shut up or wander off and leave him be.

When the snow got to be too boring to stare at anymore, he'd turn his eyes towards the Crater, and the magical barrier now protecting it, keeping everyone out, and Jenova in. Keeping her safe. The bitch who had taken his best friend, the man he thought he'd loved, his past, present and future, his hope, dreams and faith. His whole life. He'd wait here until the barrier disappeared. The others were far from here now, it would take time for them to get back here. He was closest. He'd beat them there. He'd get the privilege of killing her. Once and for all.

And after that... well, there would be time to think about that later on.

* * *

The wind howled through the branches of the long-dead trees that still stood on almost bare rock. It howled through cracks in stone and deep gorges that littered the cliffs. It was cold and bit to the bone, through clothes that couldn't possibly keep a body warm against it.

The barren stone was partly covered with ice and snow, making the thin mountain paths even more treacherous. Vincent knew that one step in the wrong direction could cost him his life. But still he struggled to keep his hold on Hojo, to not let the man escape again. The scientist tried to run, to beat his fingers and arms to make him let go. They'd wrestled in the snow, Hojo trying to escape, Vincent trying to stop him. The ex-Turk knew that if he'd let go, if he allowed Hojo one moment to gather himself, the madman would teleport away immediately, leaving him here to the mercy of the cruel nature.

So far he'd managed to hold on, and he'd die before he'd let go. But Hojo was surprisingly strong, and fought him frantically. The scientist had managed to wrestle away Vincent's sniper rifle, and had even kicked it down to a deep gorge. He still had the small pistol hidden away, but had had no opportunity to use it. He hadn't even had an opportunity to catch his breath, Hojo was giving him so much trouble.

"Let go of me!" Hojo screeched, kicking him below the belt. Vincent grimaced but held on. He was almost flat on his stomach on the cold ground, holding on tight to Hojo's laboratory jacket. The kicks hurt his ribs, he was quite sure he'd already broken a few of them. He could faintly taste blood in his mouth.

"I'll... let go... only when you're DEAD!" Vincent growled and felt the skin of his back grow tighter as two powerful wings tried to push their way out. He panicked and almost let go. He hadn't realized that Chaos was back again, lurking, angering him, pushing him farther to the edge where he would just let go of his identity. The ex-Turk swallowed and forced himself to calm down, even though Hojo was still abusing him. That he was used to.

Suddenly Hojo stopped beating him. Vincent looked up and realized that the man was concentrating, readying himself to teleport, even with him. Biting down a groan of pain, Vincent forced his body to move, and kicked Hojo to the back of his knees. Concentration broken, the scientist yelped and fell to the hard ground, almost biting his tongue off.

Vincent smirked ferociously as he quickly flipped himself over Hojo and fought his hands to get a good hold of the man's throat. Chaos was rumbling in his mind again, stretching his body from the inside like an animal breaking its eggshell. The dark man knew that Chaos was fueling his anger, giving him strength, trying to break him enough to get out. Vincent couldn't allow it, not now. Hojo was his prey. He wouldn't let anyone else take this life.

"You... can't... beat... Jenova!" Hojo hissed, his strength beginning to falter. Vincent's hands moved an inch closer to his throat. "You have to kill... all of Her... to save the Planet..." the scientist laughed, spitting blood to Vincent's face, "... and you can't... do that."

Hojo let go of his arms suddenly, reaching out to grab Vincent by the collar of his shirt, and pulled him closer. The ex-Turk immediately went for his throat.

"The Planet is Hers..." Hojo hissed and grinned as his body began to convulse, muscles moving almost violently under his skin. Vincent grimaced and instinctively pulled back, sitting up on Hojo's stomach. He watched with disgust as the scientist's body spasmed and twisted, knowing that it probably looked much like this when one of the four beasts inside of him had taken him under control.

Chaos chuckled.

Vincent stumbled away as the man's form and appearance began to change in front of his eyes. He pulled out the pistol and aimed it, releasing three bullets straight into the forming creatures head. It didn't seem to bother Hojo at all. The scientist just let out a cackling laugh which chilled Vincent to the bone worse than snow and ice.

/You can't win this one, human./

Vincent froze as he heard Chaos' voice inside his head. His eyes were still nailed to the pale form of Hojo, but his attention was elsewhere.

/He is too powerful. Release me./

"No. He's mine." The ex-Turk hissed between his teeth and realized he was now looking up to a floating Hojo. The scientist didn't have legs anymore, just one, spiking tendril. His hands ended in sharp spikes, and a tail of sorts twisted and snapped in the cold air. The man's skin was pale as snow, a bit greyish, with yellow and almost black stripes.

/RELEASE ME!/

Horrified, Vincent realized that Chaos might be right.

* * *

Cloud yawned and rubbed his aching eyes. He hadn't really slept at all since... well, since Zax had left him. He couldn't get the Soldier out of his mind. Had Zax left him because he hated him? Or had he just thought that Cloud would follow him out? The latter didn't seem too likely, but he had to at least try and believe that, or the pain inside grew to be too great to bear. He didn't want to think that he'd never see Zax again, that the Soldier would never forgive him. Zax must be angry with him now, he'd done such horrible things, but did that mean that the Soldier wouldn't ever forgive him?

He could hear as well as feel her coming closer. Sephiroth's body was tall, muscular and therefore heavy, and she wasn't completely used with it yet, she couldn't move as quietly as the General had managed. The heavy leather jacket and its buckles swished and clacked, the boots struck the ground heavily. But then again, she didn't need to walk noiselessly here, in her own domain.

Soon she was standing right behind him, and Cloud could feel eyes traveling around his back and neck. It made the small hairs at the back of his neck stand, and he couldn't stop himself from shivering when a warm hand rose to his shoulder, and a gloved finger caressed the side of his neck.

"You know... as a child of mine, you are not completely without powers yourself." She whispered to his ear. Cloud shivered again with the hot breath on his neck and looked up, up to where the chamber of ice had previously been.

"What do you mean?"

"You're thinking about him, aren't you..." her voice was so much like Sephiroth's it unnerved him, but what he could remember of the ex-General, he'd never used such a tone. She sounded like she was purring and laughing at the same time, like her voice came from the stars, or deep inside the earth. Ignoring the strange sensations her voice had on his body, Cloud dared to nod, even though he didn't know which would be the right answer according to her.

"I can tell. He's on your mind constantly. Well, with the powers you were... born with, powers inherited from me, you could go and see him..."

Cloud forced himself to turn slowly instead of whirling around excitedly. "Do you mean it? But... what if he still hates me and doesn't want to see me?"

"Well, then you would know it. For sure. Here, let me teach you a few tricks..."

* * *

Vincent squared his jaw and corrected his aim, releasing bullets at the man's head again. It did little to hurt the creature, let alone stop it as Hojo lifted to the air a bit and then shot down towards him, almost as fast as a bullet. Vincent instinctively fired and closed his eyes as the creature flew by him, teasing him, slapping him with the end of its tail.

"You can't even touch me... you've no hope to stop Her!" Hojo screeched gleefully and flew a few loops in the air.

Vincent wiped blood from his face, the tail had left a cut just below his eye that now bled to his chin. "I don't CARE about her. I just want you dead." He hissed, making Hojo laugh.

/Let me finish him off! You can get back to leading your miserable life then, just let me taste his blood on my tongue.../

"Shut UP!" Vincent screamed, silencing even Hojo. Chaos just continued its restless rumbling, but the scientist was quick to catch up.

"Your little friend wants to come out and play? Why stop him, Vincent? You jealous of how marvelously he is able to destroy the lives of others?"

"SHUT UP!" Vincent roared and felt his teeth grow out to sharp, long nails, too big for his human mouth. He clamped a hand over his mouth immediately, but Hojo had noticed it and was laughing mockingly.

/I'll shut him up.../ Chaos promised, his voice full of barely concealed mirth.

Vincent whimpered as blood trickled down his lips and throat. The sharp teeth had punctured his cheeks, lips and tongue in several places before he'd managed to force them down. A fleeting thought crossed his mind, that he could tell Professor Gast that he indeed could control the demons now. The next time they met. Which, at this rate, would be in the Lifestream, if the Planet survived at all.

Hojo flew by him again, the tail teasingly slapping him on the other cheek. Vincent half staggered, imagining that he would soon look like Reno with the scars.

"Fight me, Vincent! That's what you're here for, right? To get revenge on what I did to you and your little girlfriend..."

Vincent thought his heart stopped, or at least skipped a few beats at the mention of Lucretia. Even Chaos fell silent, listening to his reaction.

"Lucretia loved me. ME! And then you came along, in your fine Turk uniform, and took her from me. But you couldn't take her from Jenova. Lucretia was Hers, even more than I was. She willingly offered your child to Her, to give Her new life. She was a true scientist. But after you came along... she never looked at me the same way ever again."

Vincent stood very still, on the frozen ledge of stone and snow. His gun was no longer aimed at Hojo. Didn't really matter, he was almost out of bullets, and they didn't have any effect on his enemy anyway. Chaos was quiet, waiting for him to react in some way, any way. Hojo pretended to shed tears over his lost love, even though they both knew he had never loved Lucretia. He had just been possessive of her, like a spoiled child of his toys.

"And your son. You'd love to avenge him. But you are looking at this the wrong way, Valentine... he is becoming a god of this planet!"

Vincent felt very calm, completely in control of his body and emotions. He didn't really feel the pain when the wings tore through his skin, tearing his shirt to shreds. Claws grew from the tips of his fingers, swallowing his fingernails into them. He felt the teeth push out again, forcing his mouth open. Chaos roared with rage as it realized it had been cheated.

He was transforming, at least partly, but Vincent was still the one in control.

Hojo looked at him appraisingly when the black-winged creature threw the wings open, dotting the white, pure snow with drops of blood. Vincent lifted bloody eyes up to his old enemy and took to the air.

The scientist cackled with glee. "I've been waiting LONG for this!"

* * *

Zax sat on a rock, not far from Mr. Holzoff's house. The old man had mentioned to him several times, that if he kept on sitting on icy rocks all day like that, he'd get sick, and there wasn't a doctor anywhere near here. The first two times Zax had commented that it was his own business. The next three times he'd said that it was his own ass and he'd plant it anywhere he wanted. After that he'd just ignored the man. The cold, the pain creeping up his body was a sure way to ignore the pain inside which was so much worse. When it got to be so cold that he couldn't even hear the wind over the chattering of his teeth, the inner pain would be numb already, and he could just not think. He knew that his Soldier-body would keep him healthy enough, keep the cold down so that he didn't have to worry about frostbites too much.

He could sense someone was suddenly behind him, but guessing it was the old man, he didn't bother to turn or speak. Holzoff took care of the speaking; after 20 years of solitude, the man just didn't shut up.

"... Zax?"

He almost didn't hear the quiet voice, the wind howling past his red ears so loudly. But he heard it anyway, and recognized it. His long and painful exercise on not thinking about anything was shattered immediately.

"Zax?"

The voice was closer now, and sure enough, a small, cold hand soon landed on his barely covered shoulder. The Soldier shivered, not with the physical cold of the touch, but with the shots of ice that crept into his soul. He couldn't let himself care, couldn't let himself get hurt anymore, couldn't love, couldn't want...

"Go away."

"But Zax... I just want to talk with you."

"Yeah? But I don't wanna talk with you. Go away. Go back to her, that's where you belong."

"But…"

"Didn't you hear me? Leave me alone. I never want to see you again."

"But... Zax, please--"

"Leave. NOW."

"... I love you!"

"I hate you!"

"... you do?"

"Go."

Zax didn't turn around once, not even when he was sure that Cloud had left. He sat still for a few more hours, until it got dark. But the darkness wasn't complete, not with the stars so bright this far in the north. Not with the magical barrier shining nearby. Not with the Meteor hanging in the sky.

The tears had frozen on his cheeks.

* * *

Vincent felt surprisingly free of everything. The weight of his body, his emotions, he'd left them all behind on that cliff, and now he was flying. Soaring in the sky like a bird with blood-spattered wings that had barely dried from their sudden birth. He didn't know if they were permanent or not, and it didn't really matter as he didn't expect to live to see the sun rise.

Hojo might have lied about Lucretia, or he might have told the truth. Vincent finally realized it was all in the past, and he couldn't do anything to change that. There was no going back. He could spend his last moments of his quite unusual life agonizing over it, wishing he'd done something differently, or he could do what would make him happy. And what would really make him happy was to kill Hojo.

Taking one good, long look at the very early morning sky, the stars and dark clouds above him, Vincent said goodbye and turned to drop towards the face of the Planet again. He instinctively knew how to tilt his body, how to tug his wings in to get more speed or spread them to slow down. It wasn't like this was the first time he flew. Just the first time he himself was flying.

Hojo was waiting, his pale form almost glowing in the darkness, a sickly, greenish shade coming fast towards him. The scientist was shouting, insulting him, but Vincent let the wind swallow all the words. He didn't care for them anymore. He was here to kill Hojo, even if he'd die trying.

Their bodies crashed together in midair, and Vincent felt a sharp pain when his fractured ribs gave out. But his own claws sunk deep into Hojo's side, scratching against bone, making the other man screech with pain. But Hojo didn't stop to lick his wounds; he wrapped his tail around one of Vincent's legs and tugged, making the ex-Turk miss with his other hand. But Vincent was now low enough to headbutt the bleeding wound he'd already caused. The pain made Hojo loosen his hold on him, and the winged one pulled free, rising higher to the air, away to catch his breath. Hojo gave him a moment before chasing him, screaming ferociously.

They collided again, this time sending themselves into a dangerously reckless fall until Vincent got his wings to work. By then Hojo had wrapped his boneless-seeming body around his, and was squeezing painfully. The spiky arms were raking his sides, and all Vincent could do to fight him was use his claws. He sank them into Hojo's flesh, drew long scratches, making the man bleed. But it didn't slow Hojo, and Vincent knew he had to get away, and soon, or he'd lose this fight before he could make sure he wouldn't be the only one to die.

/Release me you fool! You can't win this fight!/

"NO!" Vincent roared and punched Hojo in the face with newfound strength. He could feel bone break, and what was left of the man's nose twisted to the cheek, spilling blood over them. Hojo's hold weakened just enough for Vincent to pull himself almost free, free enough to bring his knee up to meet Hojo's chin. Teeth crashed together and broke, the pain making the hold on him loosen completely. Vincent used Hojo's chest as a lever to push himself off and into the air, to flap away from the furious, howling creature.

He was bleeding, badly. Many of his ribs were broken, and there was a small tear in his right wing, and the cold, strong wind was in no way helping that. Hojo, on the other hand, was just bleeding from cuts and a broken nose. He'd managed to crack a few teeth. Make one deeper cut by the man's ribs.

Chaos was right. There was no way he could win this.

/Vincent! Don't give up! Please! You can do it!/

Vincent froze, halfway ready to give up and let Chaos out. But then he heard her voice. He'd missed it so much, even when he hadn't dared to trust it was really her. He still didn't know, but she gave him strength, courage. He pushed Chaos back down, back to the deepest pits of his soul. Vincent could hear the beast howl and claw and do its best to get out, to gain control. But he wouldn't let it.

He knew his blood was falling from his body like raindrops from a cloud, to patter on the earth somewhere far below. Hojo was howling and flying towards him, fast and furious. Vincent flapped his wings enough to stay still in the air while death flew closer and closer. He concentrated in stead of flying away or towards Hojo, concentrated all his strength and power to his right arm, and especially the palm. His fingers curled a bit and went completely stiff, turning into one powerful spike, not completely unlike Hojo's paw. He looked straight into Hojo's eyes in the darkness, and held the gaze while aiming his 'weapon' straight at the man's heart.

Hojo's toothless, broken and bloody mouth was open in a scream of rage, arms reaching out to pierce Vincent's body. He didn't know whether they struck him or not, he felt no pain anymore as his arm pierced first skin, then bone and muscle before reaching their goal. His fingers clenched to a fist around Hojo's heart.

* * *

Most of the Shin-Ra guards were either dead or injured enough that they couldn't fight anymore. But the Soldiers, Reno and Nanaki were barely able to keep the five monsters busy enough to stay alive. The Soldier who had climbed to the control room had died when two of the monsters had surrounded him, so there were only five of them left. Aeris was doing her best to heal the wounds the fighters received, but she knew that sooner or later someone would be hurt beyond her ability to heal them.

After the Soldier had died and they'd taken care of most of the guards, they had managed to take the elevator down to the lower floor of the laboratory. The five monsters had followed through the elevator shaft, cutting the cables on their way. Aeris and the others had hoped to escape before they could be followed, but the first monster to come down had managed to race before them and block the hallway's mouth.

The guards were slower in following them down as they weren't as agile as the monsters in descending through the elevator shaft, but the shadow creatures had gotten over their fear of fire and started to harass the five again. Nanaki took care to be as far from Reno as possible while still close enough for safety. But the shadow creatures mobbing around them did keep the larger monsters away.

"We are fucked." Reno muttered, pale as a sheet.

The two Soldiers had opened fire on the guards, Nanaki was throwing fire spells into the throng of screeching monsters, and Aeris was whacking them away with the end of her staff. But they were still surrounded, and even though they could probably survive the shadow creatures, no matter their number, and the guards, there were still the monsters. They seemed almost human as they prowled behind the excited creatures, waiting for their turn, watching as their prey ate away at the wall protecting them.

"So much for saving the Turks, eh, Valentine? You creep. Hope you burn slow..." the Turk muttered, bursting a shadow skull open with his electric rod.

"What can we do?!" Aeris shouted next to the Turk, her staff, arms and clothes covered with blood. Behind her, one of the Soldiers almost fell, screaming with pain, a bullet in his leg.

"Hope that Vincent had more luck than us." Nanaki answered, mostly to himself in between spellcasting. He raised his voice when he spoke the next words. "Just in case, it was good to know you, Aeris. And maybe even you, Turk. It was a nice trick, but if you ever touch my tail again, I will kill you."

"How about we try it again, and if it doesn't work you can kill me?" Reno shouted back and swore as one of the monsters got tired of waiting and jumped closer to them. "Do you wanna dance, pretty boy?"

Aeris had to smile at the Turk's attitude, even though the monster was now close enough for her to smell the rot in its breath. They were horrible creatures, so much like humans, but still not much more than raging beasts, but she tried not to let her fear get the better of her. Maybe Vincent had managed to follow Hojo, maybe the madman was dead by now. It was a morbid thought, but made facing certain death a bit more bearable.

Reno swore as the Soldier behind him staggered and bumped against him, almost throwing him to the horde of enemies. "Watch it!" He could feel the man get back up on his feet and was grateful that his back was still guarded. There couldn't be too many guards left anymore, if any. Most of the sound of gunfire was coming directly from behind him, so he figured that the Soldiers were killing the creatures or trying to hurt the monsters enough to stop them.

Then everything went silent. The creatures and monsters stopped altogether. The five didn't know what to make of the situation; the creatures seemed to be listening to something, but even with the almost unnatural silence, there was nothing to be heard.

Then the silence broke as suddenly as it had started. The monsters threw their heads back and let out shrill, bloodcurdling screams, and the smaller creatures took off towards the exits, some climbing the walls, some crawling into the ventilation shafts. The five just stood in the middle of the floor, completely surprised.

The room was empty within half a minute, save for them.

"Okay..." Reno muttered, shaking, "okay..."

"What on earth..." Nanaki wondered, sitting down. Aeris promptly sat down next to him, still holding her staff with shaking hands. The Soldiers were still alert, weapons ready.

"I knew that would happen. Yeah. Of course." Reno said, almost giggling nervously.

"Did... something call them away?" Aeris suggested, wearily pushing her hair out of her eyes.

"We better get out of here before they decide to come back." One Soldier said, and reached out to pull Aeris back up.

The two Soldiers took the lead as they started towards the hallway to the door, knowing that a couple of the monsters had headed this way. But the hallway was empty, and the guards outside the open door were alive, even if they were more than a bit shaken.

"What the hell were they?"

"We better get back to the President's office, I suppose the others will be there." Nanaki, ignoring the guards, suggested as no one else seemed to be able to make a decision. Aeris nodded and followed him, Reno not far behind. The Soldiers soon took lead again, hurrying up the stairs. Small groups of guards rushed past them, shouting to each other, barely avoiding bumping to them.

When they reached the presidential office, the atmosphere there seemed to be as chaotic as in the laboratory. Aeris rushed over to her father and Nanaki followed her. Reno found Elena and demanded to know what was going on.

"This is mad, Reno! I mean, it's not even morning yet, but we've been running around for hours now! As soon as you guys went in to the lab, all hell broke loose. Or that's when we started to get the reports! There's a swarm of strange creatures at loose in Midgar, everyone's panicking, it's not like they're killing people, just causing havoc, but it's still a problem and no one's doing nothing and NOW they're in HERE in the HQ and they just started to scream and it's horrible to listen to!"

"Elena, SHUT UP!" Reno roared, his thin frame shaking visibly. The blonde fell silent, but just for a moment.

"And they were coming from the laboratory! Reno, what did you guys do? Did you get Hojo? Is he dead?"

Nanaki suddenly turned from Aeris and Professor Gast, and started to listen to the Turks.

"He disappeared but Valentine managed to follow him. So much for being your savior of the Turks, yeah?" Reno explained, not too happy.

Elena opened her mouth but Nanaki beat her to it. "You don't suppose that's what the creatures were so upset about?"

"Huh?" Elena asked, both of them turning to the beast.

"Maybe Vincent managed to hurt Hojo, perhaps even kill him. The monsters seemed very upset. They were his pets."

"They were his assistants." Rufus joined the conversation, looking surprisingly alert and fresh, considering it was very early in the morning.

"What?!" Reno barked.

"Apparently he put his assistants into Mako and turned them to monsters." The President explained with an even tone. "It's not the first time he's used humans as... experiments and specimens."

"That's... horrible." Elena muttered.

"Tch. Well I hope Valentine got him good." Reno said, shaking his head. Rufus patted him on the shoulder.

"Good to see that you are fine. Because I want you both to head over to Midgar and do what you can there. Now."

Elena dragged Reno out before the redhead burst into tears, for he looked like he just might do that.

Nanaki and Rufus joined Aeris and her father, the professor just explaining to her what had happened. They had received word just a moment ago that Highwind was nearing Rocket Town.

"We've also decided to use the Sister Ray to break the barrier over the Crater. But Junon is far from there, and at an odd angle, too many mountains and such on the way. So we're moving her here. Scarlet is taking care of it as we speak." Gast finished.

"So with any luck, the Meteor and barrier shall be taken care of within the next few days. That would leave the Weapons, and what's IN the Crater." Rufus joined the conversation. "I've already given command to send troops up there, to be ready to attack as soon as the barrier is gone."

Nanaki let out a long breath. "Again, things don't seem so hopeless. I think I'll head to town myself, see if I can be of any assistance." The beast nodded at each of them, his tail twitching almost nervously.

"I suggest that you get a bit of rest, miss Gainsborough. You too, Professor. We'll continue this later." Rufus suggested, looking at his watch.

"I think I'll go with Nanaki." Aeris said, squeezing her father's hand for a moment. "I might also be of some help."

"Are you sure, dear?" Gast asked, smiling at her.

"Yes, I'm not tired. And even if I were, I don't think I could sleep just now, not knowing what's going on and what happened to Vincent and Hojo."

"Be careful!" Gast called out after the two hurrying to catch the Turks.

* * *

Dawn was breaking when the Highwind finally flew over the last mountains, and the Rocket Town area was seen. The rocket stood out in the even landscape. Tifa stopped to stare at it for a long moment before joining Cid and Shera on the railing. They'd reached Junon before midnight, but it had taken a long time to load the bomb into the ship's bowels. It would take longer still to get it into the rocket, but Cid was determined to launch it before nightfall.

None of the three spoke much, besides wishing each other a good morning. They stared at the rocket getting closer, trying to ignore the Meteor.

Cid had already contacted Rocket Town on the radio as soon as they had left Midgar. The villagers had immediately started to give the rocket a check-out, and to do any necessary repairs. All they'd have to do was load in the bomb and take off.

One of the ship's crew came up and saluted. "Sir!"

Cid turned, squinted at the sun shining straight into his eyes, and nodded. "Yeah?"

"We're staring to land, sir. Your orders?"

"All right then, this is it. Get some guys down there to make sure nothin' happens to the bomb. Take her down softly, as close to the Rocket as possible. As soon as we land, we're dumping the bomb out. Now get to it!"

"Sir yes sir!" The man saluted again, grinning as he turned and ran below decks. Cid chuckled.

"Look at that! They're as excited as kids who've been promised candy."

Shera smiled, looking at him. Tifa noticed it, and when he headed down the stairs, she stepped closer to the engineer.

"I thought you and Reeve had something going on..." she said with a smile. Shera blushed and turned to look at the ground again. "So what's with the look?"

"Oh, it's nothing. Just that the Captain... he's the same as the others. Happy. Finally. He's going to space. It's what he's always wanted."

"You loved him, didn't you?" Tifa askes, no longer teasing. Shera nodded after a moment.

"He never cared for me though. But I stayed with him and took care of him. Someone had to. Reeve's so different from him. Gentle and soft spoken, to start with. But when he's like that, the Captain is irresistible." Shera smiled and looked at the fighter from the corner of her eyes. "Don't you agree?"

Tifa laughed and shook her head. "He does look... somewhat different. But I think I can resist my urges..."

As if he'd known they were talking about him, Cid popped his head out of the door. "Hey you snails! Get in here, damn it! We're landing!"

* * *

The landing was smooth, and the crew, with the help of villagers, were able to unload the heavy mako bomb out of the ship. Cid had sent Shera into the Rocket with some of the crew to check everything was in order, and was bossing the rest around, trying to find the easiest and safest way to get the bomb in. It was the size of a small car, although not as heavy.

"Watch it you bloody morons! This baby breaks on us, we'll be crapping green shit for the rest of our lives! Which will last about two hours in horrible, Mako-poisoned madness!"

Tifa took a few steps back, just in case. She almost jumped with surprise as she bumped into something hard. Turning around, she as even more surprised to see Rude. "... Aren't you going to help them?"

"... Not my job."

"Fine, let's just stand here and wait for the Meteor to drop." She said sarcastically, crossing her arms over her chest. Rude shrugged one shoulder slightly.

"Why aren't you helping them?" the Turk asked quietly as they both stared at the busy workers.

"I am. I'm watching this side, in case something goes wrong." She said and lifted her chin a bit.

"... You were too short to be of any help?"

"... Shut up." Tifa muttered and blushed.

* * *

Well past noon, the bomb was finally pushed and pulled into the rocket, with the help of several improvised pulleys and cranes. And Cid was ready to burst.

"All right everyone! Go and get some rest and grub! You, bring me a cup of tea! You guys, take down the pulleys and all this crap! You, make sure the supports aren't rusted to the rocket! Tif, you and Marbles get your asses here! We're goin' in!"

He lead the two up a ladder and through the main door, into the rocket itself. The day was a hot and humid one, but the air in the rocket was cool, even though so many people were running around inside it. It was dark there as well, most of the lights inside not turned on. "We're gonna save energy wherever we can. No chances. This'll gotta work on the first go!"

"Cid, how many cups of tea have you had today? And how much sugar?" Tifa asked quietly as she reached the beaming pilot's side. Cid just chuckled and waved a hand at her.

"Nothing can stop us, girl. Not now. We're going to go and say Hello to the stars face to face!"

They reached the cockpit, where a few members of the crew were checking and re-checking everything. But when Cid stepped in, they all stopped what they were doing, turned around to face him, and started to applaud. The proud Captain just smiled and bowed several times before lifting his hands up to quiet them.

"So. Long time no see, guys! How's the rocket?"

"It's pretty much ok." One man said, beaming as much as Cid was. "There's just one problem that needs to be fixed before take-off, but don't worry, Shera's taking care of it."

"Oh great! What a buncha wizards you guys are! She's gonna take 100 years! I'll take over, so don't worry about it."

"Our rocket's gonna save the planet!" Another guy said, shaking his head with marvel and stroking a wall gently.

"Man this is so COOL!" Another said, also excited.

Tifa backed away a bit, and could see from the corner of her eye that Rude was doing the same. They both felt very out of place there, amongst those whose lives the Rocket had pretty much defined. Besides, the men seemed to be talking in a language completely their own.

Soon Cid ordered the men out, and told them to start getting everyone else out as well. Only the three of them and Shera would stay in when the rocket took off. The repairs indoor were all done, except for the one Shera was finishing.

"All right. We're almost done. And way ahead of schedule, too! The only thing that bugs me is that the bloody moron's gonna take care of the launch." He swore at the thought of Palmer, who, even though he was a babbling fool, was still the head of the space department, and responsible for the launch. But his annoyance was short-lived as the Captain stretched and looked around the cockpit, smiling, genuinely happy.

"I guess if I had to choose, I'd rather put my money on the power of science. Humans who used to only roam around on the ground are able to fly now! And finally, we're about to go into outer space. Science is a 'power' created and developed by humans. And science just might be what saves this planet. I was able to earn my living thanks to science. So to me, there's nothing greater!" Cid shook his head and turned to Tifa, and Rude, too. For once there was no annoyance in his voice, no anger in his eyes. Just happiness and sincerity. "And I'm glad you guys are here to share this with me. Well, at least you, Tif. And Shera. I've been a total ass to her, I know. She'll be happy with Reeve, right? Ahh, doesn't matter now, we'll think on that once we get back."

Tifa was too surprised to say anything right then. The next moment, the rocket started to shake, and lights blinked on and off.

"What the hell... what the hell happened?!" Cid shouted and ran to the radio, screaming the same question into it.

"'Hey hey!'" Came the answer, bringing back the Cid they all knew and loved.

"Palmerrr! You mad motherfuckerrr..." Cid growled, squeezing the radio's mouthpiece. "What the hell did ya do?!"

"'They said they finished the repairs. So, I launched it!'"

Cid swore again, and switched into the rocket's own radio, calling out for Shera. She soon answered, and received an earful of profanities.

"Are you done there? Palmer launched our asses! We're heading to space!"

"'Yes, Captain, I'm done here!'"

"Well, drag your ass up here then, or you'll miss the show!" The anger was giving way to happiness again in his voice as he turned to the two and ordered for them to take seats and put on some seatbelts.

"We'll need to be seated during lift-off, but then we can hop around and check everything's staying together." Cid explained and shooed Shera into one seat as soon as she reached the cockpit.

"'Three!'" Came Palmer's cheery voice over the radio just as Cid grabbed his own seatbelt.

"'Two!'"

"Hold onto your drawers, people! This is it!"

"'One! Blast OFF!'" Palmer screeched. His voice was drowned by the roar of engines and the moans of metal as the supports started to break loose and the rocket itself complained about the sudden energy flowing through it. Tifa squeezed her seat's handrests so hard she knew her knuckles were white as bone inside her gloves. They'd been so busy the whole day she hadn't had a chance to be scared. It certainly hit her full force now, when there was no turning back anymore. They were really going into space!

Cid howled beside them like it was just another ride at the Gold Saucer.

* * *

"I finally made it... outer space... let's see, how's the course set?"

The worst noise had just died down, the little light with Fasten Seatbelts written beside it still blinking, but Cid was up from his chair already, standing by the small, thick-glassed window of the cockpit. He pressed a few buttons on the control board and lights appeared on the glass; the Planet on the lower left corner of the screen, the Meteor still up in the right upper corner, and their course set in smaller lights towards it.

"... We're going to crash into it?" Rude asked and opened his seatbelt, paler than usual.

Cid snorted and turned to them, shaking his head. "My baby's got an escape pod just for emergencies like this. We'll bail out right before we crash into Meteor. The bomb and the rocket're gonna hit it, and go Booooom! And maybe that'll be enough to take care of it."

"Maybe?!" Tifa shouted, her ears still ringing from all the noise. She was the only one still seated, Shera had gotten up just after Rude, and was watching the window.

"Nothing's for sure, cupcake. Only death and Shin-Ra being asses. But we can hope, like Aeris would put it." Cid said, toying with a few buttons. A light started to flash beside his hand.

"Wonder what they're up to... if they've come up with something to fight Sephiroth and the Weapons with." Tifa muttered and dared to open her seatbelt. They were flying deeper and deeper into space, and everything was starting to feel very light.

"Yo, Shera," Cid said and pointed at the blinking light, "would ya go and check this out for me? Take the Turk with you."

Shera nodded and headed out of the cockpit, gesturing Rude to follow her.

When they were gone and the door had closed, the Captain tilted his head a bit to the side. "Ya know, Tif... gotta tell you something. I know what I've said about this. But maybe all that I really wanted was just to go into outer space. I don't know if this'll do anything to stop the Meteor, but, ya know, at least we tried. And I got to see the stars."

Another light started to flash on the other side of the board before Tifa had a chance to respond. Even though he cursed about it, Cid seemed slightly relieved. He informed Shera through the radio about the second problem before heading for the door himself.

"Come on, we're takin' care of this one."

Tifa tried to keep up with him, but walking in the rocket felt so strange she was having a hard time matching his pace. She imagined that it must have been a bit similar to this to be under water. Feeling that there was nothing outside, only something intangible. But still strong enough to keep them from falling, or drowning.

"We're almost there..." Cid muttered and eyed the walls around them. "These are the bloody oxygen tanks... last time, Shera insisted there was something wrong with one of these, and we had to abort the launch." He stopped in front of one, and turned to Tifa. "This one, number Eight, to be exact. Look at it, nothing wrong with it and it's been years!" He rapped it with his knuckles and gave out a short bark of laughter. Tifa opened her mouth but was interrupted yet again, as the oxygen tank exploded.

* * *

Shera and Rude soon returned to the cockpit, problem taken care of. She went straight to the controls and checked the board and their position on the screen.

"Not long now. I had no idea the Meteor was this close to the Planet already..." she muttered and turned to the Turk. "We have maybe fifteen minutes before we have to be in the escape pod. Where's the Captain and Tifa? He mustn't have realized that we're this close already, I don't think it's necessary to fix that." She reached over to the radio.

"Captain? Are you there?"

A long moment passed before they heard the familiar static noise before Tifa's voice carried over to them. "'Shera! Come quick, both of you! The oxygen tank exploded, and Cid's hurt!'"

They could hear Cid's swearing in the background. Shera didn't stick around to wait for any more information, she took off like a bullet, and Rude quickly followed so that he wouldn't get lost.

* * *

"I can't lift it..." Tifa groaned, trying to ease the heavy metal piece back onto his legs as gently as possible. She hadn't managed to lift it much, but Cid still groaned when the weight returned upon him.

"Don't worry 'bout me. Hurry up and go! If you don't hurry, the rocket's gonna crash into Meteor, and you with it!" Cid said between clenched teeth.

"I can't leave without you! Shera and Rude are on their way, we'll get this off of you!"

"You dumbass! No time to worry 'bout other people! Go!"

"No!" Tifa shook her arms and was just ready to try lifting again when Shera and Rude all but burst into the room. The Turk went to the other side of the piece of wall on the Captain, and Shera grabbed it between them.

"You're stupid. You're all really fucking stupid." Cid muttered and squeezed his eyes shut when they lifted. "So tank number 8 blew up... it really was malfunctioning. Shera... you were right."

With the three of them doing the lifting, the metal piece wasn't so heavy anymore. After a few tries they managed to lift it high enough to turn it over and free the Captain. He didn't seem seriously hurt, so Rude unceremoniously picked him up by his armpits and set him standing. Cid was a bit shaky on his feet, and a lot sheepish as he tried to look up at Shera.

"... Sorry."

Shera smiled. "I'm glad you're ok, Captain. But we have to go now, I'll go and detach the escape pod, you three go to it already."

She turned back towards the cockpit but Cid stopped him.

"Hey, Shera! Does this pod really fly?"

"It'll be ok. I checked it before the launch."

"Then I'm relieved."

Shera nodded as a thank you, and hurried off. Cid, limping quite badly but not complaining too much, guided the others towards the escape pod. They kept the door open until Shera joined them a few minutes later. The pod detached from the rocket, and started to fall back towards the Planet. From the window they could see the rocket nearing the Meteor.

"So this is... outer space. Man... it's the real thing... I'm really here in outer space. So long, ShinRa No. 26..." Cid muttered. The happiness wasn't so obvious in his expression anymore, but he was clearly more peaceful and calm than before.

There was nothing else to do in the small pod, so they watched as the rocket got nearer and nearer, and finally reached the Meteor. The collision, the explosion it caused was far too bright for them to bear witness to every moment of it. But when the light faded and they could see the Meteor in small pieces, a loud, gleeful shout rose in the pod.

When the Meteor started to gather itself back together, adding on the debris from the rocket, their joy died quickly.

* * *

Jenova smiled as she heard Cloud return to the cave. The blond was sobbing, and trying very hard to hide it from her. He'd learn that there was nothing she didn't know of him. The Soldier had turned him down, of course. And it had torn Cloud apart. Now he'd be all hers to command and manipulate, even more than before.

"Well? What happened?"

Cloud stiffened at hearing her voice, and with his back turned to her quickly wiped the tears from his eyes. Jenova pretended not to see it.

"Umm, he... he was still a bit upset. So I just came back." His voice was strained, and Jenova guessed he was just a thought away from bursting into tears again.

"Well you can of course go and see him again later. I don't object. We still have some time before the Meteor arrives."

Cloud cleared his throat and finally turned to her, his eyes slightly red. Jenova couldn't keep a smirk down when she saw the suspicion in them.

"Why are you so nice to me? Earlier, you didn't like me at all."

"You didn't like me either." Jenova said with a raised eyebrow, her hands crossed over Sephiroth's bare chest.

"... Who says I like you now?" Cloud muttered, glaring at her even though he was clearly cowering away in case she tried to lash out at him. She just laughed.

"Well, I'm all you have now, dear Cloud. And you're all I have. My only child. The one with most of me inside of you."

"You made me kill Ifalna. And all those others. That Turk..." Cloud shivered and avoided her eyes, but Jenova stepped up to him and caught his chin, lifting it up so that their eyes met again.

"To make you stronger, my child. Ifalna was a bit different. The Cetra had to die before she could summon the Holy to counter Meteor. She was an obstacle. The others don't matter. Don't lose any sleep over them. None of that will matter in a few days." She pulled him closer, against her wide chest, and cradled his head in her arms. "Now. Tell me. What really happened?"

"..." Cloud let her hold him so surprisingly gently, let her warm arms chase away the cold of the outside world, and the chill of having his love turned down. The thought brought fresh tears into his eyes, and he turned his face against the bare skin, sobbing gently.

"Don't tell me the oaf made you cry, my sweet child..." Jenova purred, smiling now that he couldn't see her.

Cloud's shoulders shuddered, and he began to cry. "He said he hates me!"

"Ohh, poor thing..." She petted his hair, trying to tame the spikes without success.

"He never wants to see me again..."

"He is just human. He can't understand us. He's envious of us, even though he'd deny it if asked. But don't blame him too much. Humans can't help what they are. They'll try to become like us, to reach the stars, but they'll fail." She let her powers flow into his unprotected and momentarily vulnerable mind, soothing him. That was all it seemed like to Cloud, just a calming presence. He didn't notice her sinking her hooks deeper into his being.

* * *

It was almost night when the Highwind finally picked them up from the sea. Cid had been pretty much beating himself, trying to figure out what had gone wrong. So none of them were in the best of moods when they reached the deck, and the officer waiting there, looking like he had news, and he wasn't thrilled about them.

"All right, spit it out..." Cid growled when all four were on deck. The man nodded and cleared his throat.

"We've been in contact with Midgar several times during the day, and afternoon."

"Yeah, we heard the bug reports this morning... have they figured out what the shadow things were yet? And what happened to that Hojo?"

"No, Captain. But they're transferring the Sister Ray to Midgar as we speak. And President requested that we get back as soon as possible. They've spotted two of the Weapons near Midgar, and there have been reports of one flying over here as well, so we need to practice caution, sir."

Cid sighed and sat down, leaning his back against the railing. "So what else is new... well what are we sitting over here for then, let's get moving! You're in charge, I'm just gonna sit out here for a while."

The officer nodded and left the deck. Rude followed him soon without a word to anyone. Tifa and Shera exchanged looks and went to sit with Cid as the great airship turned and started to gather speed.

"Captain..." Shera started after a quiet moment. The wind on deck started to really blow as they turned, chilling them all to the bone. "I don't think there was anything we could have done differently. That thing... maybe it can't be stopped. But at least we tried..."

Cid waved a hand at her. "Yeah, yeah, I know... the bomb barely fit in the rocket, and it was pretty much the strongest. We blew it apart, and it gathered itself again. I know, but I still don't like it. Ah, look, why don't you two get down there before you freeze your butts to the metal?"

Both Shera and Tifa smiled at that.

"All right. But what about you?" The fighter asked, getting up.

"I'll be along soon. Just need to have a cigarette first."

The two wished him a good night and left. Cid pulled a cigarette slowly out of the crushed pack in his goggles and lit it, inhaling the smoke and immediately feeling more relaxed. The Meteor, bigger and brighter than before, competed with the rising moon of the domination of the sky that was still bright with the colours of early night. The first stars were starting to come out. It was hard to believe that just a few hours ago, he, Circinus Highwind, Captain Cid, had been up there with them. But it was true. His lifelong dream had come true.

With the end of the world closing in on them so quickly, he felt a bit guilty about being so happy. But he couldn't help it. He didn't want to help it.

Cid looked up at the starry, starry sky and smiled.

-

* * *

A.N: What what what? A nice ending for a chapter? :) How about, the 77th reviewer gets to request a picture? :) I'm not half bad at drawing... and the 777th reviewer gets chocolate. :D I'm delusional here...

I was chatting with a friend while writing the big battle, and she wanted to help Vincent, and threw him an electric flyswatter:

He knew his blood was falling from his body like raindrops from a cloud, to patter on the earth somewhere far below. Hojo was howling and flying towards him, fast and furious. Vincent flapped his wings enough to stay still, when an electric flyswatter suddenly appeared in his hands. Not questioning this sudden change of events, Vincent swung it ready like a baseball bat, and when Hojo got close enough, he whacked it SMACK! Straight to Hojo's face! The bastard screeched and screamed and cried and fried, and the smell of burning flesh filled the air.

Vincent smiled and let the flyswatter fall down into the depths of the mountain gorges, sure that whatever was still in one piece in Hojo's body would be completely crushed.

Please leave a review! :3 They make me very, very happy, and make me write a LOT faster...


	39. 2, Chapter Twentyone

It's the final countdown, just a few more chapters to go! This one took a loooong while, my computer broke down and I kept changing bits of the plot again and again. But here it is!

The story still contains foul language, violence, at least mentions of love between persons of the same sex, and all that. I do not claim to own any characters or locations. Thank you ever so much for reading, and thank you for the reviews!

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-one: Fight for your right to live**

**-**

Morning had just broken when the Highwind flew over the Midgar area mountain range. The sun shone brightly straight to Cid's eyes as he stood on the deck, staring into the horizon. He hadn't slept much, still too excited from his trip to space. So he had climbed up to get some fresh air, and to keep an eye out for the Weapons.

But the crisp morning air was the harshest thing up there. No sign of Weapons, and even the cloud of smog that usually hung above Midgar seemed thinner. It was still far in the east, it would take over an hour to get there. Cid knew that once they'd reported their mission to the President and the Professor (he didn't want to think of it as a failure, not after getting to meet the stars), they'd join the troops battling the strange army which still bothered the city. From numerous radio contacts over the night, he knew that as soon as the Sister Ray was at place, airships like the Highwind would take Soldiers and troopers over to the Crater, to finish the threat once and for all.

Cid blew the smoke out of his mouth and coughed when the wind threw it and the ashes from the cigarette back to his face. Swearing, he slapped at his clothes and hair to make sure the ashes didn't set him on fire. When he was done, he threw a death glare over his shoulder, just in case someone had seen him. But the deck was still empty, he probably being the only one willing to brave the cold air this early in the morning.

"Tsch, their loss..." Cid muttered and sighed as he leaned his arms over the railing, dropping his chin on top of them. "Can't blame them too much, tho, don't think we'll get a lot of sleep after this..." he closed his aching eyes for a moment, and when he opened them again he saw something glittering below them. Curious, Cid stretched his neck to see what it was. He didn't remember there being any villages around these parts.

"What the hell..." he had to squint and reach far over the railing before he could make out what the thing was, as the hull of his own ship blocked most of it from his sight. "Well I'll be..." the captain chuckled and pulled out his PHS.

"Tif? Did I wake you? Good. Get your ass up to deck, and Shera too. You gotta see this!" He pocketed the small device before the fighter could argue with him, and reached over the railing again to get a better look as the thing came out from under their shadow.

"What is it?" Tifa asked a few minutes later as she and an equally tired Shera joined him at the railing. He motioned for them to look down without even turning to face the two.

"This is a pretty cool sight. Makes ya think there's some hope left."

Shera and Tifa glanced at each other, puzzled, and walked to the railing on Cid's both sides. Following his example they reached out.

"Down there, just a bit behind us. We just passed it."

Looking down they saw a large piece of metal, glittering in the morning sun. Squinting, they could make out the group of tanks that pulled it slowly but surely towards Midgar.

"Is that the Junon cannon?" Shera recognized it first.

Cid nodded. "Yeah. The Sister Ray. Coming to save the day!"

"But how did they get it over the mountains?" Tifa asked, turning to look behind them at the tall mountain range. "Aren't the Mythril Mines the only way to pass? It's way too big for that!"

"Beats me..." Cid muttered, reaching out to get one final look as the airship turned its course slightly. "Gotta ask them once they get to Midgar. Speaking of which, we got about an hour before we're there."

"I'm... kind of afraid to go back. Knowing what's waiting there. The creatures, more battles. Weapons... feels like everything is falling down on us. Not just us, all humans." Tifa said, leaning her back against the railing. The cold air made the hairs on her arms stand up, but she didn't mind it much.

"Yeah... I guess this is the last battle. A big one. Won't be over till one of us kicks it. Jenova or us." Cid said.

Shera shook her head and wrapped her arms around herself to keep the cold away. "Makes you worry, doesn't it?"

"Don't worry! Think!" Tifa said and tried to smile. Shera smiled back and shook her head.

Cid startled them both by slamming a fist to his open palm. "Hey! The girl's right. You start worryin' and there's no stoppin' it! Things just start fallin' apart and get worse and worse."

Tifa and Shera looked at each other, surprised by the captain's unusual mood. Cid seemed a bit bothered at their look and shrugged.

"I've been thinkin' about this and that. All the time we been up here lookin' at the planet. I've been thinkin' even when we were floatin' in the ocean in that escape pod. You see, I always thought this planet was so huge. But lookin' at it from space, I realized it's so small. We're just floatin' in the dark. Kind of makes you feel powerless. On top of that it's got Jenova festerin' inside it like a sickness. That's why I say this planet's still a kid. A little kid sick and trembling in the middle of this huge universe. Someone's gotta protect it. Ya follow me? That someone is us." He looked first at Shera and then at Tifa. Both seemed moved by his words.

"Cid... that's beautiful." Tifa said quietly.

"Yes, captain." Shera nodded, but still didn't look too convinced. "But how are we going to protect the planet from Meteor?"

Cid opened his mouth to answer, but just blushed, shrugging. "... I'm still thinkin' about that."

Both stared at him, completely lost, until Tifa started to giggle. Cid growled and muttered profanities which made even Shera's shoulders shake.

"You can't expect me to think about everythin' around here!" But he had to smile as well as the two women laughed.

When Rude stepped to the deck a few moments later they'd calmed down, but were still all in a good mood. The Turk walked to them quickly, giving the slightest nod as a greeting.

"The President contacted me wanting to know when we're there. He says the report can wait, we're to join the battle immediately and to give aerial support to the fighters. Hojo's army has turned from a menace to a threat."

"So much for a good morning..." Cid muttered and nodded at the three, pushing himself off from the railing. "I'm gonna head down and get the peeps up an' ready. Get some grub and get ready. We're stepping on the gas now."

The others nodded as the captain walked past them towards the door. Just before he reached it, he turned and shouted at them: "Just remember, it ain't over 'til the fat lady sings!"

"..." Rude stared after him and minutely shook his head.

"Are there any fat ladies at the HQ?" Tifa asked Shera, smiling a bit. The mechanic shook her head, amused.

"Can't remember ever seeing one."

"... we could always put Palmer in a skirt." Rude muttered and paled even himself at the visual of it.

"Ewwww!" Tifa screamed and laughed.

* * *

"..._only you appear in the midst of the battlefield,_

"_floating on the water's surface._

"_The divine wind loses its divinity_

"_And disappears into the dark._

"_The shapes of the lilies blooming_

"_On the night our reunion..._" Jenova's voice fell to a quiet hum while the song itself still echoed in the hall of stone. It was dark in the small crevice, but the walls glowed green and purple around them as the nearby pools of mako spread their light far and wide.

Cloud opened his eyes, feeling like he was just waking up. Maybe he had fallen asleep, his head resting on Sephiroth's thigh. He couldn't remember any dreams, only the song she'd sang. He felt rested, in better spirits and stronger. But there was no hurry to get up yet.

"Slept well, my child?" Jenova whispered, running a gloved hand through his hair. Cloud nodded and yawned, momentarily tensing his muscles to wake them up.

"Did I sleep long?"

"Just a short nap. Can you sense it?"

Cloud pushed himself up on his elbows and turned to look at her. The smile seemed so strange on Sephiroth's face, or at least it had before. He realized he was getting used to it already. "Sense what?"

"Hojo's gone."

Cloud was wide awake immediately. "What? He's dead?" He rose to rest all of his weight on his hands so that they were almost face to face now, if Cloud hadn't been so much smaller.

Jenova nodded, not seeming to feel much of any emotion for the scientist.

"But how? Did someone kill him?"

"You didn't know? Your little friend, Vincent." Jenova's words were as emotionless as her face, but when she spoke Vincent's name there was a note of tenseness in her voice. Cloud opened and closed his mouth several times before managing to speak again.

"Vincent! How is he, is he alive? When did this happen? Where?" He fell quiet immediately as mako-green, glowing eyes turned to him, thinned to slits.

"You care more for him than Hojo?"

"He was my only friend. Hojo hurt me, and Vincent was there with me."

"He murdered you."

"He didn't mean it, he was-" Cloud closed his mouth as the glare grew tenfold. He realized what he had almost said. That Vincent had been manipulated by Jenova. It was true, but knowing her temper, it would not have been wise to say it out loud, not with such an accusing tone.

"... You were saying?" Jenova asked, leaning forward, closer to the nervous clone.

Cloud stuttered and cleared his throat. "He didn't know what he was doing."

"Didn't Hojo help you? You were a pathetic little boy, he helped make you what you are today."

Cloud hesitated a moment. The first thing that almost came out of his mouth was that he'd rather be dead than living this way, manipulated and hated. The second thing that almost came out of his mouth was that he would have preferred the most boring, weak life to this.

He hesitated for a moment too long. Jenova lost her patience and slapped him hard across the face. "You should be thankful, boy. Not everyone gets the chance to be where you are today. In fact, you're the only one now. And whether you like it or not, there's no changing it. So consider how lucky you are. When the Meteor reaches us, we're the only ones with nothing to fear.

"We are above this world. And you only because I wish it."

Cloud did his best not to lift a hand to the stinging cheek. He knew it was bruised, felt even a few scratches, but also knew that it would heal soon. Everything healed so fast here. It was the mako, and her presence.

Even if he tried to escape by killing himself, he'd heal before managing to do enough damage.

The blond nodded slowly, looking down at the floor. "I'm... I'm sorry. I am thankful. It's just hard sometimes."

Jenova smiled and lifted the same hand that had hit him. Cloud tensed but forced himself not to shy away from the touch as the gloved hand caressed his already healed cheek.

"That's my good boy. Come, rest now. There's no hurry yet..."

She guided him back to the floor of stone which was surprisingly warm. Cloud didn't object, he let his head be laid back to the warm thigh, to the smell of leather and mako. Closing his eyes he sighed and carefully wondered what had happened to Vincent. But all thoughts soon disappeared as Jenova started to hum again, the sound lulling him into a peaceful, dreamless sleep.

"_Go to sleep little baby... go to sleep little baby..._

"_come lay bones on the alabaster stones_

"_and be my ever-loving baby_..."

* * *

The battles in Midgar raged on, far more vicious than in the laboratory. The large beasts held nothing back anymore: they destroyed lives and property without a thought, controlled by blind rage. The small shadow creatures were more of a nuisance than real danger, but there were hordes of them. Once the beasts had entered the streets, the sewers had opened and filled the city with the creatures.

Cid and his 'crew' had joined the battle as soon as they had reached the city. A lot of people were panicking and trying to escape, adding to the mess. But some were fighting back, if for nothing else then at least their own survival. The word had spread that the shadows reacted strongly to fire, proved by the fact that they stayed well away from the buildings that had caught fire already. That had lead to people intentionally setting things on fire, which lead to more chaos. Firefighters did their best to keep some of the fires under control, but there were too few of them to do much.

The slums were a total mess, but up on the plate the situation was a bit more bearable. Rufus stood on the roof of one of the bigger houses, surveying the situation. Scarlet was with him, wielding a huge weapon which she used to blow up anything that dared to come close to the President.

"Is this really the end of it all? Does my rule over Midgar and the world end like this, so soon?" the blond man muttered mostly to himself, feeling a wave of self-pity in the middle of all the horrors around him. He shook it off and concentrated on surveying the city. "How far is the Sister Ray?"

"Just a few miles now, I can already see her!" Scarlet informed him, peering into the horizon. Their view was mostly blocked by clouds of smoke from the slums, but the cannon was so massive that they could already see it, moving slowly towards them.

"Good. As soon as it's here, I want captain Highwind and the captains of other airships we've got in my office. We'll send troops up to the Crater immediately, and once the cannon is in place, we fire it to breach the protecting wall. Maybe if we take down the evil there the pests here will fall as well."

"We can hope, sir!" Scarlet said and saluted, far too happy with the conflicts.

* * *

Cid stuck close to the impromptu hospital the Soldiers had put up in the slums. Inside a house near the Wall Market, and outside as well, for there were a lot of people injured, slum-dwellers stood, sat or laid down, waiting for Aeris or one of the volunteer doctors and nurses to take care of them. More people gathered there, looking for relatives and friends. And the amount of people lured the strange creatures there. Cid had already stopped more than one person from setting the houses around them on fire to keep the creatures away.

Several Soldiers and troopers kept close to the 'hospital', taking care of the wounded, keeping monsters away and awaiting orders. The hospital was the only place nearby with a radio connection to the Plate, where Rufus and some of his executives kept an eye on the slums, alerting troops to where the enemy was making the most damage. The trains had stopped running, many of the lines were cut by the larger monsters, fires and collapsing houses. A large number of Soldiers protected the pillars, trying to keep as many of the creatures from climbing up to the Plate as possible.

Gates were open and the people of the slums were leaving the city through them, escaping out to the open country. The creatures luckily avoided the gates, and didn't seem keen on following their prey outside the city walls.

"Shit, this blows..." Cid muttered, standing at the hospital's roof, looking out over the part of the slums. Smoke rose from almost every direction, creatures screeched, humans screamed and shouted. The captain shook his head and swore again when he spotted a group of people running towards them from the right. A horde of creatures followed them, screeching and throwing rocks, bottles, whatever they could get their paws on. The blond rummaged the pockets of his jacket and smirked when he found one last stick of dynamite. He lit the fuse from the tip of his cigarette, held the stick, judging the distance between himself and the creatures, their speed... and tossed the stick right in front of the horde. It exploded when the first creatures had passed it, the explosion throwing up dirt and loose limbs. Some of the pursued humans stopped for a moment to look back at their screeching and injured enemies. The ones that had survived had fled already.

Cid chuckled, even if he wasn't truly amused by the cowardice. Take out a monster, there were easily three or four more to take its place. The bastards seemed to keep breeding, more and more just poured out of the sewers.

And no one had still figured out how to kill the large, furious monsters that ran amok through the slums.

"How the fuck are we going to beat them?"

* * *

The people just kept coming in, needing attention, crying, hurting, looking for their loved ones. Aeris had already exhausted her healing powers, so after taking a few moments to make the room stop spinning she had returned to helping people as well as she could without them. She hadn't thought that there were this many people living in the slums.

Yuffie had been somewhere near, they'd come to the slums together with Nanaki, Barret, Reno, Elena and many Soldiers. But she hadn't seen the ninja in hours. Tifa, Cid and Rude had come by some time ago, but she hadn't seen them in a long time either. Sometimes she thought she could hear Cid swearing, but most times she put it down to exhaustion. The hospital seemed to be a world of its own, there was no way out of it for her to see what was happening. The nurses and doctors seemed to be in similar states of mind, but they all did their best to appear calm. No need to alarm the people any more, they were already panicking enough.

* * *

Nanaki was not too happy about the fact that the closest person he could recognize was Reno. But the Turk wisely kept away from his tail as they fought with a group of Soldiers and troopers to keep the tide of creatures at bay. Rude was with the other Turk, and their small group was actually making some progress against the creatures.

He hadn't seen the others in a long while, but didn't really expect to. Midgar was huge, and with the enemy swarming all over the slums and the plate as well, fights were on everywhere.

It made him feel silly, even a bit embarrassed, when he used his tail to keep the creatures at bay.

* * *

Tifa guided the people towards the nearest gate, appreciating the help of the Shin-Ra Soldiers who kept the group of scared slum-dwellers safe from the creatures. Her martial arts skills were not much of a help against this strange enemy, so she had put her energy into helping those who were escaping the city. She had been surprised with herself when she had just ordered the Soldiers to assist her. They'd obeyed her without a question.

This was the second group they were helping out, about fifteen people, most of them children. They were scared, and just about unable to protect themselves in any way. Tifa was guiding them towards the gate of Sector five; they'd gone through the gate at Sector four last time, but that was now overrun by the enemy.

They'd run into a large swarm of the creatures just two blocks ago, but the Soldiers had killed enough of them that the others had ran off. They were quite cowardly unless accompanied by a large number of their species. But a few of the children had been hurt, and even if the few adults were carrying them now, they were still moving slowly through the streets.

Tifa hurried ahead, to see what was behind the next corner. Luckily the streets ahead were almost unoccupied, just a few scared creatures running here and there. Scared because the whole area seemed to be more or less on fire. She groaned, but knew that the gate was so close. And the fire wasn't so bad. Yet. "We're almost at the gate, hang on!" She called over her shoulder. One of the Soldiers came to her side and swore at the sight.

"Well, looks like we won't have to worry about the creatures."

"Yeah. Look, there's a fire hydrant. Get that open and everyone to water their clothes. Then we run for it." Tifa said, thinking quickly. The Soldier nodded appraisingly, swung his huge sword and ran across the street while she motioned for the rest to follow.

The Soldier reminded her of Zax, and after a long time, she thought again of what had happened to him and Cloud. But there was no time to worry about the two now. The people were obeying the Soldiers and showering in the strong spray that shot out from the fire hydrant. Some of the children were even laughing. She squared her jaw and ran to them, following the last of the group into the cold water.

* * *

He knew that Marlene was safe at the HQ, with Soldiers and guards and Shin-Ra executives, but Barret still worried about her even when he was blowing the creatures to bits. He didn't give them any mercy; the second an enemy caught his sights, it was doomed. There was no way he'd let these creatures spread across the world they'd fought for for so long. Not when he could get Shin-Ra to stop polluting the world with mako. Not when there was a chance to make the world a better place for his little Marlene, and all the other children.

He was fighting alone right then, he had followed a group of Soldiers and guards into the bowels of the slums, but had taken off on his own soon. He knew the slums well, he had been the head of a resistance group after all, he had had to know the place he was fighting for. But it was getting hard to keep up with where he was. Buildings had collapsed, some were on fire, the streets were full of dead bodies, furniture, trash, and the air full of smoke.

Where exactly he was, there weren't many enemies left anymore. He took off running straight ahead, knowing that where ever he went, he'd find a fight soon enough.

Somewhere, nearby, thunder growled and lightning flashed. Barret stopped for a second, and with a shrug took off in that direction.

Midgar could fall. The people had to live.

* * *

"Shit! ShitshitshitshitSHIT!" Yuffie screeched and threw the fire spell to the horde of creatures. They screeched back at her, died or fled. But not far. Their master, one of the large monsters was nearby, watching them. Watching the young ninja. She could feel its stare on her skin, could imagine what went on inside its head. What she imagined wasn't pretty, and involved her and Elena cooked in various ways.

Elena. The bloody Turk had to go and get hurt. And she had to be kindhearted enough to stay and protect her, and not just run off with all her materia.

So Yuffie was standing between the fallen Turk and the enemy, her spells almost exhausted, almost out of weapons. She still had her large shuriken which she had managed to keep a hold of. Her position was shaky at best, she was standing on top of the wall that circled the slum area, and all of Midgar at that. The creatures were swarming over the wall, on top of it, on the streets and on the rooftops of houses. The large monster was on a rooftop as well, close enough that she imagined it could reach her with just a few leaps.

"I'm gonna die..." Yuffie muttered and felt a stab of panic. She was just sixteen, too young to die. She hadn't found all the wondrous materia she had heard of. She'd never really kissed anyone, never fallen in love. She didn't want to die, not yet. But the future didn't seem too bright, or long. The future was dark, smirking, over seven feet tall and ugly.

"Well if I gotta go, might as well go with style..." she muttered, fighting hard not to let the panic get a hold of her. She turned her body, twisting her wrist, ready to throw the shuriken at the monster. It saw that she was aiming at it, but it really didn't seem to bother the monster. It did crouch a bit, ready to jump at her. Yuffie swallowed hard and called out the power of the materia in the weapon's slots. "I may not be able to kill you, but... here goes..."

She released the spells and the weapon simultaneously, closing her eyes so that the flashes of lightning wouldn't blind her even momentarily (or that was at least what she'd say, if someone had seen her) and dropped to the ground, partly covering Elena's body with hers. She heard the boom of thunder and even through closed eyelids could see the lightning, and soon smelled the scent of burned flesh. The creatures howled and the monster roared. Yuffie had heard Nanaki's words on what they'd thrown at the monsters in the laboratory, and was sure that this little trick wouldn't be enough to kill one of them. But it was better than just letting them kill her without a fight.

She felt that she should stand up and face death with her head high, but her knees were completely against the plan, and she wasn't too keen on seeing how ugly the future looked now, after a meeting with several spells and a shuriken. It was certainly howling like a mad, pain-crazed wolf, provoking the smaller creatures into a frenzy.

Elena struggled to move underneath her, and Yuffie opened her eyes, her head protected by her arms. "Damn fine time for you to wake up!"

"Yuffie!"

The ninja froze for a second before sitting up and looking in the direction of the voice and ceaseless gunfire. She almost got teary-eyed at seeing Barret running towards her on the ground, firing away at the enemy. But the gun-armed man was too far, the monster was just a leap away from her.

"Yuffie, run!" Barret roared over the sound of his own gun. The ninja got up and started to tug the Turk up as well. Elena was still mostly out of it, unable to stand.

The wall seemed to shake when the monster jumped to it. Yuffie froze, hearing Barret's almost desperate and furious roars. Even if these were the last moments of her life, she was happy to know that the grumpy man had cared for her after all.

She was a ninja, she stood with her back straight, but she had to close her eyes when the monster pulled itself up to its full height in front of her, barely twitching when Barret's bullets hit it.

"Get DOWN you IDIOT!"

* * *

Most of the children were so scared that they had to be carried through the fire. Tifa could barely believe it when they all reached the gate only with a few singed hairs. The people cheered when they saw the dry grasslands through the gate, and the refugees who had already made it outside the gate.

The streets were empty here, and Tifa thought that with luck, they could take a few more groups out through this way. She hurried them on anyway, fearing that something would go wrong at the last second. She lead them through the gate and to a safe distance from the city, not satisfied until each and every one of the small group was safe. Then she let herself fall to the ground and breathe for a moment, let her screaming muscles calm down a bit before returning to the hell.

* * *

Nanaki raced far ahead of the two Turks and the Soldiers who still were with them. Reno was screaming for him to wait and Rude to hurry up, as they made their way through the city towards where Elena had called help from. She had managed to give Reno her location before the PHS had gone mute.

The fighting had calmed so that the creatures didn't crawl everywhere anymore, just hordes of them in some areas, lead by the monsters. Only a few strays ran the streets between burning buildings. From what reports they'd gotten through the Turks, most of the fighting was near the wall now. They were running through the deserted slums towards the wall as well. Nanaki could sense the Turks' dread for their comrade, and was worried himself, considering that one or more of his friends might very well be with the blonde.

As they neared the location where Elena was, they started to hear the sound of screeching creatures and ceaseless gunfire. Nanaki ignored the others and ran even faster, his four powerful legs carrying him along far faster than the humans could even dream. He had recognized Barret's gun, and was damned if he'd let his friends die.

He stopped like he'd hit a wall when he reached the spot, but only for a moment. Barret was along the same street that ran next to the wall, just one block to the south. He was shooting up at the top of the wall, where a monster crouched, battered by the bullets but not seeming seriously injured. Nanaki decided to help and jumped easily to the roof of a nearby shack, and from there to the top of the twenty foot high wall. His eye went wide when he saw Yuffie and Elena in front of the monster. The ninja was trying to pull the Turk to safety, but the shadow creatures were giving her trouble.

The beast growled and, minding Barret's bullets, jumped to the monster's back, sinking his teeth into its neck no matter how much the stench of mako made his stomach turn. He could hear Yuffie screaming and then a bolt was flying at the monster from the ground. Reno and Rude had joined the fight.

The bolt singed his fur a bit as well, and the monster was now trying to reach him with its clawed hands, but had trouble reaching over its own ridiculously sized shoulders and back muscles. Nanaki fought down his nausea and bit deeper.

* * *

Yuffie wanted to cry with relief when first Nanaki and then the other Turks suddenly joined the fight out of nowhere. Reno blasted the monster and the creatures with spells while Rude fought his way up towards the wall. Barret kept firing his gun all the while, stopping only to reload when needed. Elena was finally starting to come around, but she couldn't get the blonde to stand up.

Then Rude was by her side, wrapped one strong arm around Elena's waist and hoisted her up over his shoulder. The monster growled and made a move towards them, reaching out with one arm. Reno's bolt slowed it down a bit, enough that Yuffie could scramble away from the claws just in time.

"Jump!" Barret roared at her, and the ninja didn't stop to think but obeyed. Rude followed suit, and they both landed more or less gracefully on the cobbled street as the monster roared with rage.

"Turks! That way! Nanaki, you and Yuffie with me!" Barret shouted, still firing. Yuffie got shakily to her feet while Nanaki let go of the monster's neck, jumped off its back and down towards them. Barret stopped shooting, and then they were all running.

* * *

Tifa and the Soldiers had just reached the makeshift hospital when the noise started. She looked curiously around and up at Cid who was still on the roof, watching their surroundings for the enemy as the injured were being moved away. The fighting had pretty much ceased here, it was safe enough to move them up to the Plate or outside the wall.

The captain squinted as he tried to see what was making such a rumble. It was getting louder, and the people who were outside started to seek shelter from inside the houses that were still standing. But there was too much smoke, he couldn't see anything. It sounded like thunder, or, more likely, a horde of the creatures running this way. Cid got his spear ready, and came to stand on the edge of the roof, ready to jump down if needed.

Then, from a street some distance from the hospital, Rude and Reno came running towards the clearing and the gate to the next sector, near the hospital. Cid thought that he could see Rude carrying something over his shoulder. The taller Turk turned his course and ran towards the hospital, while Reno slowed and turned around a bit, seeming to insult whatever was chasing him. Cid opened his mouth to shout out a question, but instead his mouth hung open when Reno started to run for his life again as a horde of the creatures, lead by an injured monster spilled out to the clearing. People screamed and ran, even though the horde seemed to only follow the Turk. Rude had dropped his burden at the hospital door and was now running with his comrade through the gate to the next sector. The Soldiers started to follow the enemy until Nanaki shot to the clearing from a street closer to the hospital. He stopped there, and threw a fireball into the horde before making his way to the roof of a nearby house. Cid forgot his questions again as Barret and Yuffie ran to the clearing next, followed by an equal amount of the creatures as the Turks. Nanaki started to bomb the enemy with fire, and the captain finally snapped out of his daze and followed suit. Tifa was also finding a higher perch from which to throw spells from.

* * *

Reno and Rude didn't stop until they reached the enormous pile of rubble that had been Sector Seven. Rude started to climb but stopped when a look over his shoulder showed him that the redhead was just standing there, staring at the horde which had slowed down now that its prey was standing still. The bald man slowly returned to his partner's side and gave him an inquisitive look through his sunglasses. One lens was missing, so for once Reno could actually see the look, not just the raised eyebrow.

"Reno."

"Rude."

"... What are you doing?"

"Oh, not much. You?"

"Reno. Unless you have a plan here, I will kill you before those guys do."

The redhead smirked at him.

"... That was your plan?" Rude asked, eyeing the enemy now.

Reno shrugged. "Might as well be now. We're toast.

They started to back up the pile of rubble when the horde got a bit too close.

"The Soldiers are fightin' them at the other side of the gate. We just gotta survive until they get to this side."

The horde parted, allowing the injured monster to walk towards them. Its hot breath steamed as it sized them, probably wondering whether it could eat them both at once.

"... Reno, you're so fucking imbecilic."

"I love you too." Reno smirked and pointed up with a finger. Rude looked up to the Plate, looming over them like a pizza with a slice missing. And on the edge of the remaining pizza stood Scarlet, her bright red dress standing out against the grey background. With her were several guards with huge weapons.

The Turks turned and ran up the rubble as fast as they could.

* * *

Cid had jumped down and joined the battle just before the explosion on the other side of the gate to Sector Seven. Whatever it was, it was big, and right next to the gate. Flames washed over the clearing, emptying it quite efficiently of all creatures. Cid had hit the ground, and lifted his head in time to see the last smoking creature run off.

"What was that?" Aeris screamed. She'd ran out of the hospital, and was staring at the almost empty clearing, her eyes and mouth large with surprise. Then she noticed Elena who was leaning against the hospital wall, blinking slowly, her blonde hair half dyed red and black with blood. "Oh my goodness, are you all right? Someone help me get her in!"

Two Soldiers rushed over to help her immediately. The rest started to gather slowly towards the hospital, the members of Avalanche with them.

Cid lighted a cigarette with shaking hands and held the smoke in for a long moment, letting his eyes wander over his teammates. Nanaki, Tifa, Barret and Yuffie were all in one piece, but all cut, bruised and injured. "Well." The pilot said. "Good to see all you fuckers haven't managed to get yourselves killed yet."

* * *

Cait Sith sat on the Cosmo Candle's plateau, the mog dangling its legs over the edge. The Candle burned behind its back as the cat and mog both stared into the east. Far in the sky, but not far enough, hung the Meteor.

The cat really liked this job, relaying messages and information between Midgar and Cosmo Canyon. This was starting to feel like a home, the people were friendly and rarely judged the duo on the basis that they were Shin-Ra. What they now worked as meant more than the past.

"But what I'm doing... is it enough?" Cait muttered and sighed. The end of the world was hanging above them, literally. Was there enough time to destroy Sephiroth and Jenova?

"Ho ho hoo... aren't you a fortune teller?"

Cait spun around on top of the mog as Elder Bugenhagen floated there. The cat meowed and bobbed its head as a greeting.

"Well, yes, but that's more of a show."

"Humm, well, give it a try, you never know..." the old man suggested, smiling. Cait nodded and the mog stood up, turning to Bugenhagen.

"Well, let's give the world its fortune!" The cat shouted, jumping up and down while the mog's arms flailed from side to side. Villagers passing by stopped to look and smile.

Cait bowed when the strip of paper started to print, and reached out to grab it. "And... uh." The cat scratched its head, puzzled.

"What does it say?" Bugenhagen queried.

"Umm... 'Wash your socks before there is only one pair left'. You know, Elder, these are pretty random..."

The Elder laughed, as did the other villagers who had heard the fortune. The cat was happy for that, for making people laugh.

"Here, let me try it again!"

Another bobbing and jumping dance, and another fortune printed itself out.

"Here goes!" Cait said and lifted the paper. "Oh, bugger. Another weird one. 'The heart can protect more than the sword'. Well, it's pretty, but I dunno if it means anything... guess I'm pretty useless..."

"Oh, not at all! That was a splendid fortune, very promising." Bugenhagen said, nodding.

"How come?" Cait, obviously puzzled, asked. The mog scratched its head.

"Well, it might mean that Lady Ifalna's sacrifice was not in vain. That she had time to summon Holy."

Cait blinked, and back in Midgar, Reeve pressed the headset tighter against his ears. "Holy? What's that?"

"The most potent white magic, Holy. Antithesis of Meteor. It's a prayer that protects the planet... if Earth hears your wish, Holy appears. Ho ho ho!" Bugenhagen explained.

"Really?" Cait exclaimed, jumping up and down. "What does it do?"

"Meteor, the Weapons... they all will just disappear!" The old man said, lifting his hands into the air for a moment to emphasize his words. "... and perhaps us too."

"Us?" Cait's enthusiasm lessened considerably.

"That's something Earth must decide. What is 'good or 'bad' for the planet... all the 'bad' will die when Holy comes. It's as simple as that... ho ho ho." The man started to float away. "Now... human beings... I wonder which category we fall into."

Cait stood still for a moment before hopping after the Elder. "What? Wait! Wait a second! Hey! How come this is the first I've heard of this?"

Bugenhagen stopped and allowed the robots to catch up.

"Let me get this straight. Ifalna summoned this 'Holy', to counter Meteor. Right?"

"Yes, but there's no way of knowing whether the Planet heard her before she was killed." The Elder spoke quietly now, not wanting his words to be heard by others. "Not until the Holy is free to work. If it will, the Planet heard her. If not... we have to deal with Meteor ourselves."

"So, how do we free it?" Cait asked, feeling afraid.

"By freeing the Planet of Jenova. She stops Holy from working. As long as she's on the Planet, Holy will not work."

"So... how come, you know... no one's mentioned this before?" the cat asked quietly. Bugenhagen shrugged and floated closer, scratching gently behind one furry ear.

"Humm... would it have changed anything? Ifalna knew what she was doing, and our friends realized themselves that Jenova must be destroyed. No matter what Holy decides about us humans, we still have to do our best to save the Planet."

"But... it could have... they would have..." Cait fell silent. The Elder smiled and shook his head.

"Knowledge brings pain. Trust your friends, Mister Reeve." The Elder floated away towards his observatory. Cait nodded and sighed, turned and hopped back to the Candle. It was so dark already...

* * *

A few hours later, by late evening, all the members of Avalanche who were in Midgar, most of the Shin-Ra executives, professor Gast, Elena and President Rufus himself were gathered in the presidential office. The Sister Ray was finally in Midgar area, and the preparations of firing it at the Crater were underway. The fighting in the slums wasn't over, but the situation was under the control of the Soldiers.

Reno and Rude had not been found yet. Elena was shocked, but seemed to be handling it like a professional. The Turks were capable of taking care of themselves, and there was no time or people to go look for them.

The next actions were clear to all. Send troops to the Northern Crater. Use the Sister Ray to remove the shield covering the Crater. If it worked, attack immediately. If not... try to break the shield any other way. If the Meteor couldn't be stopped, stop Jenova. From what they knew of the shield, Professor Gast was optimistic that the cannon could breach it.

The biggest remaining issue seemed to be who would go. Soldiers were already sent on another airship, and the Highwind would also leave in a while. All the members of the Avalanche were adamant on leaving. Professor Gast was of course against Aeris leaving, but she insisted on account of her being able to heal her friends.

"All right, fine." Rufus agreed. He had not been too happy about the idea of all of the powerful group leaving Midgar, with the two Turks lost as well, but his objections had been enough to drive Barret to the brink of full-blown rage. "You go to the Crater, we will handle the situation here. We'll keep the monsters under control and fire the cannon."

"If the first blast isn't enough, radio us and we'll give it another go." Scarlet said, on the phone all of the time, in contact with the crew setting the large cannon in its place. "She'll be ready in a few hours, then it'll take some time to gather the energy from the reactors."

"From what?" Barret turned to the woman, angry despite Tifa trying to calm him down. "You're using MAKO to use that oversized piece of shit?"

"Well what else?" Scarlet seemed only happy to respond with the same attitude. "What did you think we use to operate it, flowers and happy thoughts?"

"Barret, it's for the Planet." Tifa said before the man could answer. Barret growled, but just ended flipping the woman off.

"When we get back... I'll make sure none of you rape the Planet for mako ever again!"

"Yeah, well good luck with that..." Scarlet muttered loud enough that everyone heard.

"Lady, against you, we don't need luck." Cid said with a happy and obviously fake smile, waving his hand at the blonde woman as the Avalanche started to file out of the door. Gast gave her daughter one last tight hug before letting her go.

As soon as they were out of the room, Barret motioned for them all to gather around him. "Lissen... it's gonna get bad now. Anyone who wants to get out, do it now. No one'll blame ya." He turned and started to walk towards the elevators.

They all followed him.

They were all quiet as they took the only elevator still working to the bottom floor of the HQ. It was one of the elevators that ran on the outside of the tall building, so they could see the extent of the damage to the city. Houses were still on fire, both on the Plate and in the slums. Large patches of darkness moved over the streets and buildings. The enemy. Hojo had not been kidding when he'd said that his army would spread all over Midgar.

But this enemy could be beaten. The creatures could be killed, and the larger monsters as well, even if it would take more of an effort.

"I wonder if the Planet will ever be free again..." Aeris muttered and pressed her fingertips against the cool glass.

They soon reached the bottom floor and hurried across the Plate to where the Highwind was waiting, its crew already getting the ship ready to leave. Once they were on the deck, they could see past the HQ, and finally see the place where the Sister Ray was waiting for her big moment. The huge cannon was already aimed towards the Northern Crater, but people were still working around her, looking like ants.

The engines were turned completely on, and the airship lurched forward as soon as the members of the Avalanche were at the deck, watching as Midgar slowly grew smaller and smaller.

No one said a word as they stood there, the ship flown by its crew. Yuffie stayed by the railing, hanging her head over it. Aeris and Tifa joined Yuffie by the railing, staying a few feet away from the nauseous ninja while the three men stood nearby.

"Well..." Cid said after a long, quiet moment. "I've said it before, but guess this is the big one. If we can't stop the bloody Meteor, we can at least make sure that the peeps who survive it won't have to live with that dipshit making their lives more of a hell."

"Wow, Cid, that was the worst pep talk I've ever heard..." Yuffie muttered and gagged when the ship suddenly lurched beneath them. Cid grinned.

"What do ya expect, I'm a space pilot, not a motivational speaker."

"Maybe not, but what you said on the trip to Midgar was nice." Tifa said, making the pilot blush. "I can't believe that was just... this morning? I don't even know anymore what day it is..."

"What did you say, Cid?" Aeris asked.

"I can't remember every stupid thing that comes out of my mouth..." Cid muttered, still blushing up to his blond hair.

"It was about how the Planet looked so small from space... like it's just a kid, floating around sick, with Jenova festering in it. And that we gotta protect it!" Tifa said. Aeris nodded in agreement.

"That was nice, Cid. And true. We have to heal the Planet, rid it of Jenova. And trust that it will survive the Meteor. Mother prayed for Holy, and if she succeeded, the spell will protect the Planet from it."

Feeling more motivated they all nodded, determined to see this to its end.

"Good, then. Get some rest, it'll be a few hours before the Sister Ray is ready and before we get to the Crater."

"You too, Cid. You didn't sleep last night either." Tifa said as they started to go inside, towards the small cabins. No one really felt like sleeping, but realized that they needed to rest to be ready for Jenova.

"Yeah, yeah, in a minute. I'm just gonna watch the stars for a while."

They were almost at the door when first Aeris and then Nanaki stopped, looking up and all around. The others stopped as well, unsure of what was going on.

"Did you... hear something?" Nanaki asked, looking at the others. Aeris nodded, and soon the others heard it as well. A strange, inhuman voice, keening, crying for help wordlessly.

"What the hell is that?" Cid shouted, leaving the railing and running to the others.

"It's the Planet." Aeris said, tears running down her face. "It... maybe it heard us. It's asking for help. It can't survive this one on its own. It can't beat Jenova."

"Damn it!" Barret swore, marched to the railing and shouted: "We'll make that bitch FRY!"

"Yeah!" Yuffie cheered, caught in the moment enough to forget her motion sickness. "Don't worry, we're bad and we're mad!"

Cid laughed and clapped his hands together. "Ok! All you rugrats, get some rest! The Planet needs us strong! This is it, we can't lose!"

"Yes sir!" Aeris, Tifa and Yuffie shouted, saluting with a big smile. Nanaki threw his head back and let out a wild, feral howl which Barret joined.

"You're all mad, but I can't think of anyone else I'd rather save the Planet with." Cid said, shaking his head.

* * *

All the other executives, Rufus, Professor Gast, Elena and numerous technicians, including Shera, had already gathered at the Sister Ray when Reeve reached it. Shera quickly caught his eye and smiled, making the executive blush with pleasure.

"Any news on Reno and Rude?" Reeve asked Elena quietly, stopping by her side for a moment. The Turk shook her head, looking far more serious than he had ever seen her. He couldn't resist patting her on the shoulder, and she seemed to appreciate it. "Is the cannon ready yet?"

"Almost."

"If you would have been here fifteen minutes ago, like the rest of us, you would have heard the whole report, Reeve." Scarlet called out without turning away from the cannon. For once she was wearing something other than her red dress: the executive was wearing similar overalls as the technicians, the red Shin-Ra logo printed on the back and over her heart. "She's almost fully charged. Won't take half an hour anymore. We have to be careful with it, since we don't have the controls from Junon, we're going to have to launch her manually. So Shera, keep an eye on the readings rather than him. We don't want to blow up because of overcharging her."

Shera blushed and nodded, turning her attention to the laptop computer monitoring the mako readings. Reeve smiled a bit, feeling peaceful and warm inside despite everything.

At least, until he remembered the conversation in Cosmo Canyon. He left Elena's side and went to the professor.

"Professor Gast, could I have a few words with you? In private?"

"Of course..." the man nodded and followed him a bit away from the others. "What is it?"

"Cait Sith was talking with Elder Bugenhagen, and the subject moved to the Holy, the summon. I was wondering, how much do you know of it?"

"What do you mean, Mr. Reeve?"

"Well, do you know how exactly the Holy would stop the Meteor? The Elder said something about it deciding which things are good for the Planet and which aren't."

"I'm sorry, but this is new to me. Ifalna didn't tell me much of it. Truth be told, I refused to listen after she suggested it in the first place, knowing how much the summoning would tax her."

"All right then. Thank you anyway. I was just wondering, as the Elder didn't say much about it."

"I don't think he knew much. Ifalna was really the only one who did."

Reeve opened his mouth to tell the man what the Elder had told Cait, but at the last moment hesitated. There was already enough to worry about without adding to it.

* * *

It was the deepest, darkest moment of the night when the radio suddenly exploded into life. Cid had been dozing in the cockpit, letting the crew do their work in peace. But the shouts through the airwaves startled him awake, nearly dropping him from his slumped position on the chair.

"Whatt'hellwassat?" He struggled up before his eyes were properly open.

The radio officer looked over his shoulder, pale and startled. "Sir, it's the Dionaea, on their way to the Crater! They have been attacked by a Weapon! They're changing their course, but the thing is chasing them!"

Cid swore and shook the sleep from his head. The Dionaea was the other airship sent by Shin-Ra, full of Soldiers and fighters, whoever Midgar had dared to dispatch from protecting the city itself.

"Ok, how far are we from them and the Crater? Which way are they going? Where are they?"

"Sir, we're less than two hours from the Crater, they were almost there already when the Weapon attacked. They're now trying to lose it, flying here and there."

"Does Midgar know of this yet?" Cid asked, and the radio officer nodded. "And what's the situation on the Sister Ray?"

"They're getting ready to fire her, sir."

"Captain, what do we do?" the pilot asked.

Cid swore like he had never sworn before. His words were enough to melt the paint from the walls of the cockpit. Just when things couldn't have gone worse, they of course did.

Cid took a deep breath and closed his eyes to calm down. When he opened them again he was full of determination.

"Bell, call them and tell them to head our way. Clarke, go and wake the others from their naps. And get ALL the weapons on this tub ready! I don't care if it's a rusty cannon or a pea-shooter or whatever, get it ready! We're taking that asshole down and showing Scarlet that we don't need her measly cannon to crack open a Weapon!"

"Sir yes sir!" The crew answered his commands in unison and hurried to obey them. Cid grinned and hoped he'd really be half as certain of this as his words were.

"Sir, shouldn't we just... fly to the Crater?" the pilot asked quietly when Cid went to stand behind him.

"Yeah, that would be the smartest thing to do, but we gotta at least try to help the poor bastards. The Dionaea is a pretty ship, but not much use in a battle. We're still humans, we gotta try." The captain said equally quietly, and turned when he heard the door open. The members of Avalanche looked just like people awaken suddenly from sleep would look like, but they were still ready to fight.

"What's goin' on?" Barret asked.

"A Weapon attacked the other ship, I told them to come our way so we can help."

"A WEAPON!" Yuffie screeched.

"Yeah, brat. We're getting the Highwind ready to attack it as soon as we see it. Gimme the estimated time of contact!" Cid called over his shoulder, and one of the crew instantly answered him.

"Seventeen minutes, sir, at the current speeds the Dionaea and we are flying, sir!"

"Great, we got a while to get ready. And you guys..." Cid turned to the Avalanche, everyone paler than usual, "get your asses up to the deck and give the bastard hell!"

Yuffie was the only one who was going to protest, but Tifa quickly pulled her along, out of the cockpit. Cid smirked at the look on the ninja's face, even if his common sense told him that this whole business was madness.

"Gee, I'm kinda likin' this boss-thing. Bell, get in touch with Midgar, get the status of the cannon and tell them what's up."

"Sir yes sir!"

* * *

"President, sir, a Weapon has attacked the Dionaea!" A secretary came running from Midgar to the cannon, turning every head.

"What?" Rufus demanded and marched to the nervous man. "How, when? Where? Where's the Highwind?"

"Sir, the airship was almost at the Crater already when the Weapon appeared. They are fleeing it, towards the Highwind. Captain Highwind is meeting them, ready to fight the Weapon."

"What?" Shouted more than just one mouth. The secretary paled even more.

"The last one took TWO shots from the Sister Ray to kill it!" Scarlet shouted and swore. "The man is mad, endangering everything like that!"

"Contact them, ORDER them to cease hunting the Weapon and to go straight to the Crater." Rufus said to the secretary.

"Yes, we're launching her in a few minutes!" Scarlet realized and hurried back to the cannon, excited as a schoolgirl.

"We may have to sacrifice the Dionaea if they are unable to escape. But one of them HAS to reach the Crater, and it looks like it will be Highwind. Go and give them my orders." Rufus said quietly to the secretary who nodded and ran away.

"Just a few minutes now! Everyone, back away, it's not safe to stand this close to the cannon when it fires!" Scarlet was shouting, rubbing her hands together excitedly.

"How far exactly do we need to be?" Reeve asked, already taking a few steps back.

"Well since she's not anchored down properly, half a mile should be enough. The mako shouldn't radiate through too badly." The woman answered matter-of-factly, not noticing how most people were already running.

* * *

They were already out on deck before stopping to consider who had made Cid the boss. It seemed that the blond man had naturally taken control of everything since they were on his airship.

"But are we _really_ fighting a Weapon? I mean, we all saw the one that came out of the Crater, those things are HUGE!" Yuffie complained as they all shivered on the cold deck. "This is just one ship, right? And we're smaller than flies to that thing. Are you guys serious?"

"Yuffie, calm down. If it starts to look too dangerous, I'm sure that Cid will fly us away." Aeris reassured the younger girl. "We have to try and help the others. They'd do the same for us."

"They're Shin-Ra Soldiers, don't be so sure." Barret muttered.

"Well even so, we're not them." Aeris argued, moving towards the wall to be protected from the cold wind. She couldn't help feeling disappointed about not getting to the Crater sooner, though. Even if she didn't mention it, she was constantly wondering what had happened to Vincent, and Zax. And even Cloud. There was no reason why they'd get any answers at the Crater, but she had a feeling Jenova would know. And if she could use the knowledge against them, she would.

They waited for a few minutes, trying to remain ready for battle despite the cold air and the even colder wind. And of course the fear of the coming enemy. They had so far fought countless battles, but nothing as big or dangerous as a Weapon. It would get them ready for Jenova, but it could also kill them.

A demanding beeping broke the silence, loud enough to be heard over the engines and the howling wind. The others watched as Tifa pulled her PHS out of a pocket and answered it. "Yes? Cid?" She didn't say anything else before goodbyes, just listened. After she closed the small device she motioned for the others to come closer so that she wouldn't have to shout.

"What was it?" Aeris asked.

"Rufus heard of Cid's plan, and ordered him to forget it and fly straight to the Crater. They're firing the cannon now. Someone's supposed to be there as soon as the shield opens. We're still flying towards the Crater, but the Weapon is also coming towards us now. So if we don't turn, we'll fight it."

"But if we turn, what happens to the people on the other ship?" Aeris said quietly, not really asking it. Everyone knew that without any help, the Soldiers would die.

"We probably can't even destroy the Weapon, just buy enough time for them to escape." Barret reasoned.

"As much as I hate to say this... but right now, the Dionaea is buying us time to get there. We have better chances of making it. The Highwind is faster, and has more fire power. Even if they are all Soldiers, we do have better chances of fighting Jenova." Nanaki said.

"All for the Planet, eh?" Barret muttered.

"Uh, guys... I don't think we have much of a choice anymore..." Yuffie said, leaning over the railing she had returned to just a moment earlier. She was pointing out to the sky which was already turning bright with the new morning. The others rushed to her side, crowding the railing.

"Oh..." Aeris whispered.

"Shit." Said Barret.

Flying towards them was the Dionaea, one of its engines on fire and smoking. Following it was the Weapon, huge and dark, eyes glowing like the craters of volcanoes. A long tail was twisting behind it, pushing it forward as it chased the ship. It looked like it was playing with it, not seeming to go as fast as it could go. Not that anything that size should be able to fly.

Then it noticed the Highwind.

The Weapon opened its huge maw, easily big enough to take a bite out of the airship, and roared at them. The voice was loud enough to deafen them, but the force of it was worse. It hit the Highwind like a wave, making it rock violently, pushing the ship away. The Avalanche members and the crew inside were tossed around like leaves in the wind. Barret caught Yuffie just before the ninja went flying. The others managed to hold on to something as the crew fought to straighten the ship again. The Dionaea, and the Weapon still following it flew past them, towards the south.

Nanaki was too close to the edge for his own liking, but it did give him a chance to see hatches open on the ship's side. Cannons came out, and the ship turned so that they pointed at the Weapon. The large beast closed his eye and fought to back away from the railing, but the ship was tilted so that he was trying to climb uphill, tail first. And the deck was damn slippery.

The ship managed to straighten itself soon, but shook again as the cannons launched numerous missiles. Nanaki dared to open his eye just as the first ones reached the Weapon, exploding with fire and clouds of smoke. The creature roared again and turned to glare at them. The Dionaea managed to fly away from the Weapon as it twisted its tail and pushed itself through the air towards the Highwind.

"Everyone get ready!" Barret shouted. No one had managed to miss the fact that the monstrosity was coming towards them, maw open, but the words snapped them out of the frozen horror.

Nanaki immediately called a Wall-spell upon them, wishing that he could cast it around the whole ship. Tifa and Aeris started to call out offensive spells. Besides Barret and Yuffie, none of them had weapons that could reach the Weapon, so they'd have to use spells and summons if they were to fight it from the deck.

The ship fired another round into the monster's belly while the first spells hit it in the face. The missiles seemed to cause it some amount of pain, it made a small noise which was enough to almost throw the people on deck off balance.

They had thought the Dionaea had escaped, but suddenly it appeared in their sights again, still burning, and fired several missiles to the Weapon's back. For a moment the members of the Avalanche thought that the joined damage from the two airships had hurt the creature, but when it pushed itself upwards, away from between the ships, they saw that they had barely made a mark on the skin.

"Hit it!" Yuffie screamed and summoned Ramuh. The powerful lightning spells followed the Weapon as it flew high before turning back down, on the other side of the Highwind, leaving the airship between it and the Dionaea. The smoking ship immediately took off to come around the Highwind while the Avalanche turned to attack.

The Weapon didn't seem to mind the spells they threw at it, but its spells certainly battered the protecting Wall heavily. Nanaki soon had to raise another one between them. Tifa summoned Bahamut, and that seemed to actually affect the monster. They rarely used summons in battles, but then again, this was unlike any other battle the group had been in. Chaos had come close, but even he had been subdued with a few spells and a summon.

The Weapon flew up, away from their reach as soon as Bahamut had done its damage. Yuffie, excited by the battle and barely afraid anymore ran to the other side of the deck to see where the monster would fly this time. "Oh, shit! It's gonna get them!"

The Dionaea was maybe a hundred yards from the Highwind then, the flames at one of its engines nearly extinguished. The Weapon was flying in a high arch, clearly towards the other airship. The Avalanche hurried to cast spells at the monster, to get it to change its course while the Dionaea would escape. The ship was already moving out of the way, but the broken engine was slowing it, and the Weapon just altered its course slightly. The spells did very little, the monster ignored them completely.

The people on the Highwind had no other choices left than to watch as the Weapon quit playing with them and opened its maw just before reaching the Dionaea. The pure power coming out of its mouth crashed into the ship just a second before the Weapon flew past it, battering the ship with its tail.

"Son of a bitch!" Barret roared and summoned Ifrit. The fire god appeared just as the first explosions shook the Dionaea from the inside. In a blink of an eye there was no airship left, just a bulk of fire, falling down to the ground. The Weapon was already flying towards the Highwind, but Ifrit intercepted it in midair, attacking with full force. The fire god was miniscule compared to the monster, but its pure rage actually stopped its enemy from attacking.

Just then, at that very moment, a bright, shining ray cut across the early morning sky from Midgar's direction. The Weapon howled with something like surprise and aggressively pushed Ifrit away, staring at the glowing beam. Ifrit threw a fireball at it, but the monster ignored it completely, as well as the spells and missiles from the Highwind. It didn't even look at them before taking off towards the starting point of the ray. Towards Midgar.

The members of the Avalanche stared after the Weapon. The ray was still there, bright as a small sun, battering against the shield over the Crater at its other end.

"Shit!" Barret swore as the ship lurched and turned beneath them again. In a moment they were flying full speed towards the Crater.

* * *

"Cid, what the hell?" Barret demanded as soon as they reached the cockpit, all more or less in one piece. The captain shrugged and left his post at the pilot's side.

"Sorry, guys, I know you wanted to kick some Weapon ass, but it's out of our hands now."

"What about the other ship?" Aeris asked, almost threatening the blond with her staff. Cid just shook his head.

"What about the people in Midgar?" Tifa asked.

"Well, they have that fuckin' huge cannon. They hafta take care of themselves. We're going to the Crater." Cid said, clearly getting tired of the questions.

"Makes sense, we can't let Jenova lift the shield back up again." Nanaki said. "How long before we're there?"

"Maybe an hour. We probably gotta stop at the Gaea cliffs again. Don't know how the place looks like now, considering the Weapon's must've ripped the Planet a new one getting out of there... not long now anyways. Say your prayers." Cid's voice was uncommonly serious as he turned to go back to the pilot's side.

* * *

Zax stepped out from the fairly warm cabin, his skin instantly complaining at the loss of heat. The sun wasn't even up yet, but the sky was already light in the east, and the Meteor was there to give them light. The Soldier walked towards his usual rock, starting to feel as cold on the inside as on the outside. He was amused now, though. Life was pretty damn strange. Things could just drop out of the sky suddenly, things you didn't expect to ever see again.

He was starting to get tired of waiting, though. He tried his best not to think about anything, especially what he'd have to do. The biting cold helped with that, but the longer he waited, the idler his mind became, the harder it became to keep his mind empty. He wanted it all to be over already, to know how the story ended. To let go of life, if he needed to, or to start anew. It could go either way, he didn't care. He just wanted it to be over already. For the Planet to live or to die.

He'd stare at the Crater every day, waiting for some change to the glowing shield over it. Any change, anything that would let him know he could get in. Waited patiently. He'd sit outside even before Holzoff had the breakfast ready, would go back out to wait as soon as he'd finished it, and not go in before dinner. He had to keep watch. He wouldn't go back in until he was nodding off in the snow.

Zax had never thought himself as a patient man, but the truth was that he could watch his prey for hours, hidden out of sight. Sit still and wait for months if he needed to. If his mind was set on something, he'd do anything he needed to do to get to his goal.

And this morning his patience was finally rewarded.

It came from nowhere, a bright arrow of green light. Zax couldn't help it, he started, almost fell from the rock, and shouted out with surprise. The beam hit the shield straight on, and at first seemed to be reflected all around. Zax shielded his eyes with a hand just as Holzoff ran out of the house, asking what was happening. He shouted for the old man to get back in, or to hit the ground as he didn't know whether the beam would turn their way. But it started to enter the shield, to break it.

The shield started to melt, like thin ice over a puddle in the sunshine. First there was just a hole the size of the beam, but it started to grow, quicker and quicker, until the beam ended, as suddenly as it had started.

Zax carefully lowered his arm, and tried to blink the after-images out of his eyes. Tears were running down his frozen cheeks when he squinted and stared at the Crater.

The shield was gone. The way to the Crater was open.

-

* * *

A.N: Borrowed a few songs for this chapter, first Dir en grey's Hotarubi, translated by Brian Stewart & Takako Sakuma from centigrade-j, and then a song from O Brother, Where Art Thou? I make no claim whatsoever to owning these songs or having any kind of rights to them. Wanted to quote one song, ended up with two. :) And I had to include Cid's little speech about the Planet, that's one of the best bits in the game. Sorry again for the lateness, hope it was worth reading!


	40. 2, Chapter Twentytwo

Welcome to the beginning of the end.

This chapter is insanely late, I apologize. Feedback truly appreciated and welcome.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-two: The Final.**

**-**

Someone was crying.

Someone was crying inside his head.

Vincent opened his eyes but didn't wake up. He knew that he wasn't truly awake, this was one of those dreams when he just thought so. Quite like his life.

Looking around, he found himself in a cave. It wasn't familiar to him, he couldn't remember ever being here. Of course that didn't mean the place was new to him, Chaos might have come here at some point. Maybe it was one of its victims that was crying, sobbing in the twilight that twinkled, alive with the glitter of some unseen but nearby body of water.

He had thought that Hojo had killed him, but apparently he wasn't allowed to die yet. Maybe Hojo had survived as well, maybe the last battle was just to come. Maybe it would never end, a cycle going on forever and ever...

...damn but the crying was beginning to annoy him. Was oblivion truly so much to ask for?

"Who is it?" Vincent asked, hoping that the noise would cease.

"Vincent...?"

The voice was quiet and echoed strangely in the cave, but Vincent had no trouble recognizing it. His guts twisted with longing and pain.

"Lucretia?"

The crying stopped. Vincent wondered what was the point of this particular dream, what Jenova wished to achieve. He no longer dared to hope that it was the real Lucretia. Not even after the fight with Hojo, when he had thought he'd heard her. He turned slowly around but saw no one as a quiet voice started to speak.

"I wanted to disappear... I couldn't be with anyone... I wanted to die... but the Jenova inside me wouldn't let me die. Lately, I dream a lot of Sephiroth... my dear, dear child. Ever since he was born I never got to hold him, even once... not even once. You can't call me his mother. That... is my sin..."

Vincent felt so cold inside, the words had frozen him worse than anything. They were his own thoughts exactly.

"This is low, Jenova. If you wish to punish me for what I did to Hojo, come up with something better." He turned to leave, but the voice came back, desperate now.

"Back! Come back! Vincent... won't you believe me?"

"I find it hard to believe that this would be real after all that has happened."

"It isn't. This is a dream. But a true dream. Vincent... I'm not... I couldn't live like that. I had to get away... you're so near to the Lifestream now that I can reach you. You're free of the demons, you triumphed over them. You're free now, Vincent."

"..." Vincent bit off his angry response. He didn't dare to trust the voice. This dream gave him no reassurance that it was speaking the truth. It wasn't any different from the previous dreams, not in content. They always tried to make him believe their words.

"You don't have to believe me. Just... please tell me?"

"Tell you what?" Vincent asked quietly, feeling slightly guilty, even if it fought against all his senses of self-preservation.

"Is Sephiroth still alive? I heard he died five years ago. But I see him in my dreams so often... and, I know that physically he can't die so easily. Please, Vincent tell me..."

Vincent lowered his head and closed his crimson eyes. He had already accepted as a fact what he was going to say, but it didn't mean that it was easy. "... Sephiroth is dead... what remains is not him."

The voice said nothing more, but the wave of sadness that flowed over the cave, over him as well, was so strong and cut so deep that Vincent fell to his knees. The sobbing started again, and he was soon crying as well. Crying for his son, his love, both gone, lost forever. This sadness felt too real to be something of Jenova's making. The pain was like his, a parent's sorrow for a child they'd never known.

"Lucretia... I loved you..." Vincent whispered and laid down on the cold stone floor, giving in to the tears, crying until he was drained of them and all energy, crying until he fell asleep again. He could still hear her sobbing when he woke up again, in a warmer place that was completely white. He was still lying down, eyes closed, but he knew that everything was white. And he knew that he still wasn't awake. Not truly.

He was hearing words again, spoken somewhere, maybe inside his head, maybe on the outside.

"... so I'm going. Mr H. here will take care of you, tho. He likes the company. You'll want to kill him after three days. If we all survive the next three days."

He recognized this voice. Zax. So the Soldier was alive. But how was this possible, how come they were together? The last time he'd seen Zax was when the Soldier had run past them near the Crater. The last time he'd been conscious he had been fighting Hojo at the Nibel mountains.

No.

Wait.

Where had they fought? Why would Hojo have teleported to the mountains when Jenova was at the Crater? He hadn't paid that much attention to their surroundings, it had been cold and there was snow, ice and bare rock. The Nibel mountains were familiar to him, he'd just presumed that was where they'd been.

But Zax was talking again.

"... the end, I guess. If I don't take care of Seph... damn. I mean Jenova. If I don't take care of her now, it might be too late. So. Hope you make it, buddy. Hope you got to say goodbye to him. And don't worry..."

Vincent tried to wake up then, wanted to go with the Soldier.

"... I'll take care of Cloud as well."

"ZAX!" Vincent screamed, but only in his dreams. No one answered him, and the voice was gone already. Zax was gone. Vincent slept, unable to wake up.

* * *

Cloud looked up as he could feel the energies around him start to shift. He got up from the corner where he had momentarily dozed in. Looking up, and around, he realized that the warmth, the soft glow of the shield upon the Crater was cracking. Someone was breaking through it.

He looked around for Jenova, but she was nowhere to be seen. This was the first time that had happened since he got here. She was always there, somewhere near, as if she didn't want to leave him completely alone. Unguarded. As if he was her prisoner. He'd stayed back willingly when Zax had just turned and ran after his confession. Jenova had sheltered him from the falling boulders and debris, kept him safe, comforted him, encouraged him. She had been like a mother to him.

But that didn't stop him when Cloud decided to go up to the surface, to see what was happening, to feel the wind on his skin. If the shield was truly gone, he could get out without using her powers. She wouldn't know he was gone if he was careful enough.

Maybe he could get far from her before she'd even notice it.

* * *

Zax climbed up to the Gaea cliffs without taking a break, staying warm by rushing so. He guessed that someone would be coming soon to finish Jenova. Maybe even the Avalanche. But he'd get there before them.

He was about to start looking for a way down when something caught his eye. Something that moved. Zax's hand went instantly to his sword as he turned, scanning the black stone and white snow, expecting to see one of the monsters that prowled around the icy land. All he spotted was a white cloth, billowing in the wind.

Zax blinked, frowned, and with one more look around walked towards the cloth, surprised to find it a torn laboratory coat. He paled when images of a similar coat flashed through his mind, a coat seen through the thick glass, through a mako haze.

"It couldn't be..." the Soldier muttered and leaned over to pick up the cloth. Frowning and feeling dread, he sought out the shoulders and hung the garment before him. "It couldn't, but I'd bet my ass this is Hojo's... which means..." images, produced completely by his wild imagination, of a very naked Hojo frolicking around the snowy landscape were too much for his already strained mind, and Zax burst into hysterical giggling. Even more so when he realized the effect such cold weather had on most males. "Oh great, now that I got that image in my mind, it ain't gonna go away... but seriously, what the hell does this mean? Hojo stayed here when the Crater collapsed? Does Vincent dropping out of the sky almost on top of Mr. H's house have anything to do with this? There's gotta be some simple explanation to all this..." Zax muttered and looked around, squinting at the brightness created by the combination of the clear sky and endless plains of snow. Nothing, except for a few boulders here and there. Nothing out of the ordinary.

"Oh geez, how thick can I get..." The Soldier rolled his eyes before looking down. The snow beneath his feet was packed hard, and powder snow had blown over it, but he could still make out faint footprints, and signs of struggle. Kicking away some of the snow, he found more shreds of clothes and dried blood. A few yards towards the Crater, a gun without bullets, buried in snow.

"Ok, as intriguing as this is, I gotta get to the Crater. There's no time to lose. Can't be long before someone else gets here." Reluctant to leave the mystery behind, Zax tossed the laboratory coat away and turned back towards the crater. He kept kicking up the snow as he went, finding more signs of struggle, and a lot of blood. A trail of it, which lead to the Crater. It was very different from how he remembered it. But the Planet had given birth to the Weapons here, changing the scenery quite drastically. And there was only one way to go: down. Down into the bowels of the Planet, down along the uneven terrain which had nothing in the way of a path. Just cliffs and boulders spiraling down.

"Well, guess this is it. Here I go. No regrets, no hesitation." The Soldier chuckled with humor so dark it almost blinded him. "As if there's an action I've taken in the last... who knows how long that I don't regret." He made sure the Buster sword was still attached tightly, that the weapon wouldn't fall, and started walking down the stretch of ground that was still somewhat even. "I regret hoping." He stopped for a moment, thinking he'd heard something. "I regret trusting. Thinking that Jenova wouldn't be so strong."

A large swarm of bats, not unlike the ones in the cellar of Nibelheim's mansion, shot out of the hole in the ground, still several hundred yards away, startling him. "Shit! What else..." he moved to lean against the Crater's side, carefully moving along beside it when he reached a spot where the ground was about to give underneath him. "I regret not fighting harder for Sephiroth. For giving up on him." Zax grinned wistfully. "He could be an ass, but he was MY ass. My platonic ass, but still."

He'd come up here once from Holzoff's house after the shield had come up. He'd soon be where it had started. "I still regret not keeping in touch with mom and dad. But I already regretted that years ago, and did nothing when I had the chance. Great. Ok, so I regret a LOT of things. But..." he backed away a little, as much as he could on the sloping stone, then took some running steps and leapt over a chasm, barely making it. The Weapons could have considered other people here a bit. "... I regret nothing..." another gigantic leap, "... as much as I regret what I let Hojo do to me."

Zax had been speaking almost unconsciously, making noise just to chase away the horrible shroud of complete and utter silence around him. But when he heard the last words from his own lips he stopped to ponder on them. "What Hojo did to me... the few tests didn't really hurt, didn't matter. But what he did... he broke me. Took my trust in the future. In people. And... Cloud. Shit." The Soldier squared his jaw, pushed the thoughts out of his mind and inched around a boulder that blocked both his path and his vision.

He stepped on something squishy, and Zax hissed with pain and surprise when something small but apparently very toothy bit into his shin. Swearing, the Soldier batted it away, watching with disgust as a group of the small carcass eaters looked up from their meal and wondered whether he'd be tasty.

"Don't even think about it, fuckers." Zax muttered darkly and fired them with a spell. Their screeching actually gave him some sort of sick pleasure. He felt even more disgusted when he happened to look at the meal, and realized it had been a humanoid of sorts, with a head, two hands, and things that looked like two tails. "What the hell were you... poor bastard."

He was about to fire the thing as well when curiosity won and he leaned closer, to see what the creature looked like, and what had killed it. Well, the gaping hole in its chest answered the second question. Zax felt the small amount of food he'd managed to eat in the last few days start making its way up when he realized that the blackened strings coming out of the wound would be blood vessels... so, following logic, and the strings, the squishy thing he had stepped on...

"Oh FUCK!" Zax yelped and almost lost his footing in his hurry to get his boot clean. "Motherfucking shit!" He danced around the boulder, disgusted, and didn't think to look where he was stepping until he tripped over the corpse. His next expletive echoed all around the Crater. If Jenova didn't guess he'd be coming for her, she sure as hell knew now.

He was practically sitting on the creature's lap now, and sick curiosity won again. Zax swallowed hard and turned to have a look at the thing's face before common sense caught up with him.

When he saw the disfigured, mutated face the Soldier felt all blood leave his. Most of the flesh was gone, eaten already. Cheeks as well. Nose was broken, jaw twisted. Eyes gone. No hair. No scalp, as a matter of fact. But Zax had spent five years watching that face, hating it. Loathing it. Waiting for the day when he'd get to wrap his hands around the bastard's neck, and squeeze the life out of him. He'd know that face anywhere. He'd never forget.

"Hojo."

Zax felt the urge to scramble up as fast as he could, but he forced himself to calm down. To think.

Hojo was dead. Truly and utterly dead. Gone to meet his maker. Deceased. He hadn't had the pleasure to kill the man, but this was quite satisfactory as well. And he had an idea how the bastard had died.

"Fuck you, Hojo. You destroyed us. Hope Vincent gave you hell."

He started the fire at the tip of Hojo's tail, making sure it got to a good start before starting towards the Crater itself. The smoke from the burning carcass was reason enough to hurry, but he did take a few moments to turn and stare, to let this image of Hojo be the one he'd remember till the end of his days.

He soon passed the area which the shield had covered, the ground black as if burned where the spell had met it.

"Done with regrets. Now it's time to get over hesitation, and do this." Zax muttered, ignoring his emotions, locking them down, one by one, until nothing remained but his anger. He wasn't Zax anymore, he was the Soldier, the same one who had taken control in Wutai, in every serious battle he had been involved in. The one who made him so much like Sephiroth.

The one who'd keep him alive.

Zax took a deep breath, looked down into the Crater itself, and jumped down to the closest boulder.

* * *

Cloud had managed to slip past Jenova without her noticing. At least he hoped so. There'd been no signs that she was following him, or that she'd even noticed he was gone. She'd been in one of the larger 'rooms' which had survived the Weapons, staring up to the ceiling, talking quietly to herself and laughing. The sound had freaked Cloud out, and he'd passed the room as quickly and quietly as possible.

Jenova had made sure that even if the shield would be broken, their enemies would have a hard time reaching them. At some points, the 'path' was nothing but boulders suspended in air. Monsters roamed everywhere, but luckily they recognized him as hers and didn't bother him. Cloud still thought that he'd feel safer with any sort of a weapon in hand.

Slowly but surely he made his way up towards the surface. Many times he almost stopped and turned around, knowing that he could never truly escape from Jenova, that it was futile; she'd find him, anywhere he could go. It would be easier for him if he'd just go back and pretend he'd never left the small chamber. But he wanted to see Zax, just one more time. The Soldier, and the sky. To feel fresh air, and a wind around him. He could feel Jenova's anticipation, she knew that someone would come soon. Cloud wasn't sure he'd survive that.

The way wasn't long from the Crater to where he knew Zax was staying. From above ground he hoped he could teleport to the Soldier without Jenova sensing it. If he hurried, he could reach the Soldier and make some sort of peace with him before they'd be interrupted.

* * *

The path led him deeper and deeper into the warm bowels of the Planet. Zax was now aware of everything that moved down here, every creature that attacked or followed him. The Crater was free of any and all bugs and critters, all normal animals that wandered the Planet. Only the enhanced creatures remained here, her pets and guardians. He showed them no mercy.

The 'road' split in two at one point. Zax took a moment to rest there, at a plateau bathed in bluish light. Two smaller plateaus and a few maze-like caverns had preceded this place. One path led downwards straight to the right from where he was standing, and another one from straight across the plateau. The area was free of monsters, so he could let his guard slip for a moment. He knew that he couldn't afford to stay here for long, but he needed a moment to catch his breath and down a few potions. Jenova's creatures were not easy to beat, no sir! He'd have to mention that to her before he'd kill her.

"Nice hole, Mrs. J, but you got a reaaally bad pest problem here..." Zax muttered to himself and snickered a bit. "Ah, damn, that last one hit me kinda hard."

"... Zax?"

He barely heard the whisper, but still whirled around in an instant, Buster-sword again in hand, ready to take out whatever had come to challenge him now.

Across the plateau, at the point where the rock sloped down with the path, stood Cloud. The youth was staring at him, looking surprised and even a bit intimidated. Zax instinctively lowered his sword, but just a bit.

"So. She sent you to stop me, huh?" the Soldier said quietly, forcing himself not to feel anything for the blond. Cloud opened his mouth and closed it, shaking his head when no words came out.

"Well. Stay out of my way then." He turned away, not listening to Cloud's hasty protests.

"Don't go! Zax! She's down there. Please!"

The Soldier just ignored him, taking the closer path downwards. He could hear light running steps behind him, and knew that the blond was following him. Zax picked up his pace, rushing through the next cave which led him to an underground swamp area. He stopped for a moment at the entrance, shaking his head at the sight. The ground was covered with water and plants, roots or something sticking out above the water, creating pathways across the cavern. He was moving again before Cloud followed him in, still pleading for him to stop, to turn back.

The roots creaked and bent under his weight, and they were slippery with water and weeds. Zax swore and tried to pick up his pace, watching the water from the corner of his eye as something moved just below the surface. Maybe he'd get lucky and whatever it was would eat Cloud.

Instincts took over again when he heard the blond shout with surprise, followed by a loud splash. The Soldier turned around and smirked, seeing Cloud sitting in one of the pools, spitting out water, green weeds hanging from his hair. Zax realized that he had reached out his hand to pull the blond up. He quickly retracted his hand and wiped the smile from his face.

"Stop following me."

Cloud once again opened his mouth to say something, but Zax silenced him with a wave of his hand.

"But--" another swift wave. Cloud sighed and lifted a weed-covered hand to brush his wet hair back. He then pointed behind Zax's back with a finger. The Soldier looked over his shoulder only because he knew that the blond couldn't attack him from that position.

A Tonberry was standing right behind him, waving its small but surprisingly powerful knife. Zax paled and shrieked, turning around just in time to block the weapon. The Tonberry seemed so harmless, almost cute, it was hard to believe it was so dangerous.

'Kinda like someone else here I can think of...' Zax thought to himself and threw a fire spell at the creature. He'd have to be careful, at this rate he'd be all out of spells before he'd reach Jenova.

The Tonberry shook the effects off and stepped closer. Zax stepped back, hoping he wouldn't slip on the roots. He wouldn't have, had something not slithered from the pool and wrapped around his ankle. He fell under the surface just in time to escape the Tonberry's attack. But whatever had caught him had a good hold on him, and when he tried to attack the creature, his sword got tangled in the roots.

The pool was deeper than he would have thought, considering that no matter how hard he struggled he couldn't reach the surface. And he was running out of air. The Buster was still stuck. 'I am NOT going to die, not this close!' Zax protested, even if his actions seemed futile. His grip on the sword's handle was slipping already as the monster dragged him deeper and deeper.

Then the water grew suddenly very, very cold. The grip around his ankle felt freezing, until it unwrapped itself, letting him go. Zax didn't stop to think, just guessed which way the surface was, and swam. As soon as he reached it he looked wildly around for his sword, praying it hadn't fallen into the pool.

"Get up, I don't think I managed to stun him for long." A voice said nearby. Zax turned in the water to see Cloud, holding his sword casually over one shoulder. The Soldier stared at him for a moment, until he could feel the water around his legs move. At that, he shot out onto the root fast as lightning. Once he found his balance and managed to throw most of his soaked hair over his shoulder, he reached out for Cloud.

"My sword, please."

Cloud blinked at him but didn't say a word. The water in the pool bubbled, and a shadow rose near the surface. The Tonberry was gone. Zax reached his hand a bit farther, and the blond nodded. He lifted the sword up and twirled it around before offering the handle to Zax. The Soldier grabbed it immediately and took a few steps back.

"Hmh, thanks." Zax muttered, his voice barely audible, violet eyes looking at anything besides Cloud.

"Zax? Can't you forgive me? Or at least look at me? Just once? I've missed you..." Cloud said quietly, reaching out his hand. But the Soldier had turned away already, and didn't acknowledge his words in any way. The blond sighed and followed him at a distance.

They were soon out of the swamp area. Cloud's presence seemed to be enough to make the monsters leave them alone. Still, Zax could feel their hungry eyes on him. Not to mention Cloud's eyes. He wished the blond would go away. If had been easier to hate him when they were apart. Now, despite that his mind was trying to convince him that he hated the blond and wanted nothing to do with him, his body was yearning to touch him again. To feel warm and loved. He could feel the same urge radiating from the blond. What would it hurt? They could just leave here, and find a place where Jenova couldn't find them, at least right away. Where they could be together, in peace. Alone.

They could leave and let Jenova do what she wished with the Planet. It would be so easy to quit. Whoever had broken the shield would be here soon, to oppose the alien creature. They didn't have to worry about it.

"Could you please stop that?" Zax growled out. His mind cleared again when he heard Cloud stop in his tracks, surprised.

"Stop what? Following you?"

"Meddling with my mind. Where did you learn that, anyway?" he turned to face the blond. Cloud just blinked at him, clearly not understanding what he was talking about. They'd passed through a light cavern with green moss, and reached a stony path leading farther down into the earth. At places the far walls shone with the green of the Lifestream.

"Zax, what are you talking about?" the blond asked, taking a tentative step towards him. The Soldier immediately took one back.

"I'm talking about you putting thoughts into my head. Stop it." Zax said, even if he was starting to suspect that he was barking up the wrong tree. Cloud looked completely baffled, and shook his head.

"You give my pretty little child too much credit."

Cloud gasped and Zax could see his eyes go wide with shock and fear before he himself turned around. He shuddered when he saw her, couldn't keep it down. She noticed his weakness and smirked.

"What is it, Zackery? Glad to see a familiar face?" Sephiroth's mouth said with her voice. Zax shook his head to clear it, reminding himself of what he must do, and that this was not Sephiroth. This was someone who had murdered his best friend.

"Bitch. Shut up." The Soldier hissed and deliberately slowly turned his weapon towards her. Jenova's shoulders shook as she laughed quietly at him.

"You don't honestly believe you'll be any kind of a match to me? I suggested you leave here for your own sake, not because I felt any kind of fear towards you. You are an insect compared to me, human."

"Bugs bite, and can be poisonous." Zax commented with a smile, ready to attack her.

Jenova shrugged, and pulled the Masamune out of, apparently, thin air. She took a stance which was painfully familiar to Zax, and winked at him. "Bring it on then, little stinger."

Zax screamed with rage and rushed her, ready and willing to chop her into pieces. He wouldn't let the fear of her stop him. She probably could fight as well as Sephiroth, and they both knew that the times he'd won their mock battles could still be counted with the fingers of his own hands.

Masamune blocked the Buster easily, throwing sparks all around. Zax cringed when the clash of metal on metal made his arms ache.

"I barely felt your sting. You have to do much better than that." Jenova mocked him. Zax glared at her and pushed them apart.

"Why are you doing this? What do you want?" he said as he lifted the Buster-sword again, ready for another attack. Jenova stopped at that, even lowered the tip of the Masamune a bit.

"What do _I_ want? What does everyone want, Zackery?"

"Just answer the fucking question, bitch." The Soldier hissed, aware that Cloud was doing something behind him, moving somewhere. He feared that the blond would literally stab him in the back soon.

Jenova lifted the sword again and smirked. "I want the Promised Land."

Zax shook his head and rushed her again, trying to get away from Cloud as well as finish her off. She blocked him easily, but didn't quite expect the boot to the groin Zax delivered right after the blow. Jenova might be female, but she was certainly in a male body.

The pain and shock was enough for her to lose her strength momentarily, and Zax drove on, swinging his sword as fast as he could. She was actually having trouble keeping up right then, and had to take a few careful steps back.

'Maybe that's why Seph always won. I never fought dirty with him...' Zax pondered and elbowed her in the ribs. The Masamune certainly was a powerful and impressive weapon, but a sword that long was difficult even for a master to use when it kept scraping against the stone surrounding them. Sparks flew as Jenova hurried to parry him. With every attack given in she was forced closer and closer towards the wall.

"You insolent human!" Jenova screamed at him and leaned forward, determined to claim the offensive. Zax pushed on, as determined to keep it.

But Jenova could play dirty as well. She suddenly hit him with a lightning bolt out of nowhere. Zax hadn't even noticed her call up the spell, he just found himself flying back from her, every nerve ending screaming with pain. He'd been hit with bolts before, he knew the pain would go away soon, but she certainly wouldn't wait for him to recover. Luckily he had managed to remain standing, and got his sword up just in time to block her blow to the head.

"I think I've had quite enough of this game. I think it's time for you to die now, Zackery Lindeman." Jenova said. Zax frowned, not missing the look in her eyes just a moment ago. She had sensed something.

"They're coming, aren't they?" Zax said and smirked. He'd just have to hang on for a while longer. No problem. Back in Midgar, fighting with Seph, he'd remained standing for a good fifteen minutes during their more violent fights. But they had never used spells much stronger than level one or two, and never more than a few of them. Jenova, on the other hand, rewarded his comment with another bolt which rattled the Soldier's bones and nerves, making him bite into his tongue hard enough to draw blood. He lost his balance and swore, hands too numb to keep the sword up. 'Damn, that was at LEAST a level four!'

"NO!"

Zax blinked, and blinked again. Cloud was there. Standing between him and Jenova. Just as he had stood between him and Chaos. The kid clearly had no common sense.

"Stop! Don't hurt him! Please!" The blond was shouting, jumping around, making sure he was between the two no matter where Jenova moved, trying to reach Zax who was struggling to get back up again.

"Stupid child! Out of the way!" Jenova shouted. Zax, standing again, lifted his eyes in time to see her step forward, grab Cloud by the arm and just toss him out of the way. The blond yelped but couldn't stop, flying across the stone area as he was. Zax winced when he heard the crunch of Cloud hitting the opposite wall. He dropped to the floor like a broken doll.

"You fucker..." Zax hissed, glaring at Jenova. The strength of his rage surprised even himself, and he put the anger to good use, attacking her before she had completely regained her balance and stance.

The flood of attacks took Jenova by surprise, and she had to retreat almost against a wall. Zax didn't let his guard down for a second, though, knowing that she wouldn't hesitate to use spells if she could concentrate long enough to hurl one at him.

"First you possess Seph and destroy him. Then you possess Cloud and destroy him. The Planet's next, right?" Zax growled when their faces were mere inches apart, trying to distract her from using spells. Jenova laughed.

"Oh, I didn't need to possess them. They came to me quite willingly. And why wouldn't they? Rejected by their own kind, their family and so called friends... I just gave them what they wanted. A home."

"Bullshit! They both had people who cared!"

"Really? Poor Sephiroth never felt he belonged anywhere. Even his best friend deserted him when he would have needed him the most."

"I did not, I was shot in the back!"

"And Cloud... poor child, his lover just left him when he showed his true nature. But you'd know all about that, wouldn't you, Zackery? Seeing how you were the one to betray them both..."

"Sh... Shut up!" Zax screamed, doubling his efforts to hack her to pieces. She smiled, even if he was the one doing all the attacking.

They both were bleeding by now, from several cuts, but nothing too serious. Zax kept telling himself to keep fighting for a few more moments, he could see her glancing upward from time to time. Other people were coming. If he could just stay standing for a while longer...

"Foolish child. Can't you see you can't destroy me? Kill me if you can, which I doubt... a part of me will live on. The Planet will be mine."

Zax could see her smiling when she spoke the words, but didn't quite understand why. Not until he talked himself into the trap. "No, I'll kill you, and everything else you've touched. I'll rid the Planet of you for good..."

"Oh really?" Jenova just about purred, nodding slightly to the other side of the cave. Zax dared a quick look before parrying her sudden strike at his head. There was nothing in the cave but the three of them. Jenova, himself and Cloud.

Zax's eyes went wide and he swore. "You... BASTARD!"

"Would you, _could _you kill him?" Jenova teased, gaining the offensive as he was momentarily stunned. She poisoned him before he could come up with any kind of an answer. "I am eternal, foolish child. The Planet, and foremost, the Promised Land, shall be mine."

Zax screamed wordlessly, attacking her head on. She laughed as she parried his shaky, patternless attacks, weakened by the poison. From the corner of her eye she could see that Cloud was starting to wake up again. She mentally suggested that he'd be better off sleeping a bit longer, and the blond fell back to the ground. Zax never noticed, the tears in his eyes almost blinding him.

He blinked furiously to clear his eyes, knowing that she would use the advantage of him not seeing anything. He managed to parry the high blow, but it pushed him hard against a wall. She didn't allow for him to remove the poison from his body with a spell or a potion, didn't give him time to breathe deep as the poison ate at him.

When Jenova lifted the Masamune for the next strike, Zax knew he couldn't bring his sword up in time to block it. This was it. He'd die now. But as the blade came towards him he still tried, realizing he didn't want to die yet.

It opened his chest from the left shoulder down to his right hip. Zax gasped with the searing pain, lifting his left hand to try and keep the blood inside. With the poison in his blood, the mako wouldn't be able to fix him before Jenova would finish him for good.

She stepped back, sure of her victory as he fell to his knees, right hand still clutching the Buster sword's handle tightly.

"You... bitch..." the Soldier whispered, gathering all his rage to one last glare.

Jenova looked down at him along the length of the Masamune. The look on her face was almost pitying, like she was about to kill a sick puppy. The tip of the sword was under his chin, and she forced him to look straight up to her.

"I thought that dying by your beloved friend's hand would be enough of a punishment for your crime, but watching you withering to death like this is far more amusing..." she almost whispered, a sick glint in the mako-green eyes.

"What's... my crime?" Zax asked, trying to get back on his shaky feet. She wouldn't let him, though, she twirled the Masamune around and pierced his left thigh.

"You exist, human."

* * *

Cloud woke up when something nudged at his side. Everything seemed cloudy when he got his eyes open, and his body hurt all over.

"Wake up." Came Jenova's voice, and Cloud looked up to see her standing over him with a sly grin on her face. He quickly scanned the area and gasped when he saw Zax, bloody and still, lying on the stone floor.

"No! Zax!" Cloud struggled to stand up, but Jenova grabbed him tightly around his throat and lifted him up until he was standing, and up, up, until his feet didn't touch the ground any more. Her grip wasn't too tight, but it was making it hard for him to breathe. The blond tried to speak, to ask why she was doing this, but couldn't get anything comprehensible out of his mouth.

"Don't worry, my little puppet..." she whispered and tightened her grip. The world started to turn black at the edges of Cloud's eyes, but he thought he could hear voices other than hers. "I need you to live."

* * *

Nanaki and Cid, who had been scouting the area ahead of the others stopped when they stepped into the stone cave. Cid swore quite loud, realizing he'd just spoiled the element of surprise, but not really caring about it when he saw Zax lying on the ground, probably dead, or at least unconscious, and Sephiroth strangling the life out of Cloud not far from the fallen Soldier. The captain turned to shout for the others to hurry up while Nanaki launched into attack, leaping from rock to rock until he reached the enemy.

"Well, now we know what became of those two..." Cid muttered when the others reached him. He got ready to jump down from the cliff while Barret opened fire on Sephiroth. Tifa and Yuffie followed the captain into battle while Aeris called out spells to protect her friends. Nanaki was already attacking Sephiroth, although a protecting barrier somewhat nullified the strength of his attacks and spells.

When Cid, Tifa and Yuffie joined Nanaki, Barret started to run towards them as he could no longer shoot at Sephiroth safely. Aeris soon followed him down, but in stead of joining the fight she hurried to Zax. She kneeled down next to him, and checked for a pulse.

"Thank goodness, you haven't given up..." she whispered and quickly cast a Cure and Esuna on the Soldier. Aeris wished she could make sure he'd be alright, but Cid's swearing caught her attention, and she looked up to see Sephiroth drop Cloud to the ground when the captain's spear ran through his arm. The intimidating man forgot the seemingly lifeless blond at his feet and turned his full attention to the others.

"Shitface, pick on someone your own size!" Cid howled and pulled back his spear, twirling it around before thrusting it at Sephiroth's throat. The man in black leaned back and the tip of the spear scraped against the stone wall behind him.

"And you think YOU are my size, little human?"

Aeris got up and wondered if she could reach Cloud long enough to try and heal him as well. A small voice inside her reminded what the blond had done to her mother, but she silenced it, reasoning that it had truly been Jenova who had delivered the killing blow. But Sephiroth pulled out his sword then, not caring that his arm was bleeding severely from the spear wound.

The members of Avalanche smartly backed off a little as the Masamune slowly cut an arch through the air. Aeris quickly called the protecting walls around her friends back up when Sephiroth seemed to rise to the air a bit.

"What the hell now..." Barret growled, his gun aimed and ready even if he backed away.

"You can't win, little humans... you just can't." Sephiroth said through a smile. His voice was decidedly different now, more feminine than ever.

"Jenova..." Aeris gasped while Cid shook his spear at the floating man.

"And yet, we keep on tryin'!"

Sephiroth snorted and shook his head. "I guess I can fault you in all ways but that... you humans are stubborn."

"What the fuck?" Cid screamed and they all covered their eyes as Sephiroth's body started to glow, brightly as a star. Aeris managed to catch a glimpse of his shape changing inside the light, but it was too bright for her to watch for longer than a mere moment.

Loud noises, like thunder all around them almost deafened the fighters, drowning out their screams of surprise and horror. Winds rose and tossed them around as some tangible objects flew past them at break-neck speed. Still, the light was too bright for anyone to see anything.

Eventually the noise died down, almost completely, and the amount of light pushing its way through their arms and eyelids seemed to lessen. Carefully, fearing the worst, the Avalanche opened their eyes, and one by one gasped at the changed scenery.

The winds had blown away some of the rock walls and ceiling, even the ground. The slabs of stone they were standing on seemed to be floating in the air. They were surrounded by green glowing walls that seemed to shift around, and the glow was the strongest underneath them, where heat and the stinging scent of the Lifestream rose from. Rock moaned and sizzled down below, and screams and wails of beasts could be heard from above.

Aeris quickly looked around her, to see that everyone was still more or less in one piece. She was also relieved to see that Zax and Cloud, both out cold, were still with them. But she couldn't see Sephiroth anywhere. Not until Yuffie shrieked and pointed up.

Sephiroth was clearly Sephiroth no more. His skin was still somewhat pinkish, and his features something alike a human's, but that was where the similarities ended. His long, pale hair was floating around a clearly feminine torso. Jenova had taken over completely. Her face was twisted into a sick grin, eyes glowing a strong mako green. Her left arm was still human, but the right, injured one was replaced by a multi-coloured wing. From the waist down she was also covered with feathers which formed intricate wings to keep her in the air.

Cid managed to put their collective thoughts into words. "Oh shit."

A pulse of green light passed through them all, causing them pain. Yuffie shrieked as another pulse tore her weapon from her hand.

"It feels like my tail will tear off..." Nanaki growled while Jenova laughed at their attempts to reach her.

"This is definitely not good... he... she... whatever! Is way outta our league." Cid shouted and swore at another pulse of light. They were fighting just to take a few steps towards her. At this pace they'd be dead before they'd manage to move three feet.

"I don't know if I can go on!" Yuffie moaned. She'd reached her weapon, but with her small size was having trouble just standing up.

Aeris stood her ground, refusing to admit even to herself that this was looking bad. Beside her, Tifa was stubbornly making her way towards Jenova, who kept rising higher into the air the closer they got. Barret was shooting at her, and both Nanaki and Tifa threw spells as often as they could.

The pink-clad girl looked around, desperate for anything that could help them. And after another pulse passed them, she thought she could feel something. Standing still, she concentrated on the feeling.

"Holy," she whispered, feeling stronger just at the thought. "Holy. It's there. The Holy is shining! Mother's prayer... she did it!"

"Holy..." Tifa repeated the word.

"It's not over yet! This isn't the end, don't give up!" Aeris shouted. "Holy is with us!"

"You hear that, you cold, blue bitch from hell? Come down here and make this a fair fight!" Cid shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice almost breaking halfway through the sentence. Jenova laughed at them, but raised a Wall to protect herself.

"Fair? The world is not fair, life is not fair! I certainly am not fair!"

"Well neither are we!" Cid seemed almost as certain as his words.

"And we're not giving up! We're not gonna lose!" Tifa shouted and aimed a Flare at Jenova. The Wall around her took some of the spell's power, but the floating woman was clearly hurt by it.

"Someone take down that Wall!" Barret shouted. Yuffie had crawled forward on her hands and knees, and joined the battle with a spell that did just that.

* * *

Cloud came to again, his throat hurting and head throbbing. He had no idea how long he'd been out; last thing he remembered, it had been just Jenova, Zax and himself. Now, the walls were gone, everything shining green around him, and the members of the Avalanche were fighting what he immediately recognized as Jenova.

She had been hurt, but she had dealt her own share of damage as well. Yuffie was out of the fight, lying very still just behind Nanaki, who was sitting but seemed as out of it as she was. The others were still standing and fighting, but Jenova's spells and attacks were strong, and battered against their protecting Walls and bodies without mercy. From the tingly feeling on his skin Cloud could tell that she had just summoned something. It was also obvious from the way she concentrated on the spell, not caring about her enemies.

Groaning with pain, Cloud pushed himself up to his knees, stubbornly ignoring the dizziness that threatened to throw him back to the ground.

Zax.

For a moment he had almost forgotten the Soldier, but now that he was up, he could see the man still on the ground, a safe distance from the battle. Knowing that he wouldn't be of much use in the battle, Cloud crawled towards him as quick as he could. Whatever Jenova had summoned hit the area with a roar that drowned out all other noise, and a white light almost blinded him even when he was facing away from it and had his eyes closed. Aeris's voice frantically casting Cures on her friends assured him that at least some of them were still alive.

For the record, he thought, he did care about the others. He truly and really hoped that they would beat Jenova, destroy her completely, and save the Planet. But, at that very moment, when he reached Zax's body, the Soldier was the only thing on his mind. He didn't want to lose Zax, one of the very few people who had ever been kind to him. Maybe the only one who had loved him, and not just because they had to, like his mother. Even if Zax had only loved him for a while, it had been wonderful.

"Zax? Please, be alive..." Cloud whispered and leaned over the Soldier's chest, pressing his ear to the man's heart. He couldn't hear anything over the fight, but to his relief he could feel the strong beats. He sat up next to the man, and started to shake him gently but firmly.

"Wake up. Hurry!" The air seemed to grow slightly colder with the amount of magic being used. Fearing the worst, Cloud dared to turn to see what was going on. Nanaki and Yuffie were still out, and Tifa was sitting on the ground, bleeding a lot. Cid and Barret were pestering Jenova, keeping her busy while Aeris apparently summoned something. Cloud hoped it would be big. He could feel that Jenova was weakening, but it was obvious that with only the three of them standing and fighting, she'd win.

"Zax, please, wake up. We need to help them..."

His voice disappeared again as the sheer amount of magic in Aeris's summon seemed to drain all air, sound and light from the area. Gasping for breath, Cloud turned to watch over his shoulder.

Everything seemed black. The only thing he could see was Jenova, floating in the air, trying to fight whatever was coming, but unable to move inside the spell. Then, something Cloud identified as a knight from old, old bedtime stories appeared from the darkness, flew towards her, and slashed her with his huge sword before disappearing.

Cloud's eyes opened wide. The summon Aeris was using, he had thought it was as much a matter of fairytales as the knights that it summoned.

Another knight appeared then, attacking Jenova in passing. Cloud could feel the shadows of the attacks through the link he shared with the woman, but the pain was nothing. It meant that she was hurting so much worse, and that was merely a good thing.

A third knight, then a fourth. All the way to the twelfth. He watched all their attacks with awe, losing all sense of time and place, until the world went black again, heralding the appearance of the last knight, the king himself. The king flew straight at Jenova, raised his sword high over his head, and brought it down with all his power. A small moan escaped his lips, the attack was so powerful.

The king gone, the world was black again, until a shred of light tore through the darkness, shattering it to pieces. The light almost blinded him; Cloud had to close his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, he saw Aeris, Cid and Barret still standing there, staring up at Jenova. Cloud followed their gaze, and felt his mouth fall open.

She was still hanging in the air, her wings flapping gently to keep her afloat. But she didn't attempt to attack them, she didn't even raise her walls up again. She just hung there, limp and swaying a little.

"I... lost?" she eventually whispered, and slowly scattered as ashes into wind. In mere moments she was gone, with no sign left of her body. Cloud and the members of the Avalanche could only stand and stare at where she had been.

"It's over?" Aeris dared to whisper after a long, quiet moment. Cid sat down heavily, dropping his spear. The clatter of the weapon broke the spell, and Cloud realized he'd been holding his breath.

"Where the hell did you guys get Knights of the Round?"

Everyone started, Cid actually jumped back up, spear in hand once again. Cloud had almost fallen over at the words, and turned around just as Aeris exclaimed "Zax!"

The Soldier was sitting up behind him, staring at the others with an expression of awe and disbelief. Relief washed over Cloud; Zax was all right!

"Never mind that!" Cid shouted, sitting down again, "Could we just cure these guys and get the hell out of here?"

Cloud sat still while Aeris and Barret cured their friends enough that they could leave. Zax had stood up and reclaimed his sword before returning to stand behind Cloud. The blond wanted to turn around, to speak to the Soldier, but found himself afraid to.

When all the members of the Avalanche were able to stand and walk again, Cloud decided to test his own legs. His knees felt a bit wobbly. He still hadn't dared to even look at Zax, remembering how angry the man had been with him. So the steadying hand on his shoulder came as a total surprise.

"Cloud... I'm... I'm glad you're ok." Zax muttered before walking past him, towards the others. Cloud felt himself blush almost violently, and his stomach fluttered like the proverbial butterflies had just woken up.

"So, what now?" Zax asked as soon as he reached the others.

Cid shrugged, far calmer now that he had a cigarette in his mouth again. "Is there anything else we can do? We killed the bitch."

"But what about Holy? What's gonna happen to the Planet?" Barret asked, and everyone turned to Aeris. She rolled her eyes, tired.

"Why do you think I know?" she said, but smiled. "We really have done all we could. I think that the rest is up to the Planet. We should leave here, and go home proud."

"You heard her!" Barret shouted, waving his human hand. "Let's get outta here! About time I checked on Marlene, anyway..."

"Do we really gotta walk all the way back up?" Yuffie complained. She had been healed of her injuries, but it would take rest before she'd be completely well again.

The members of the Avalanche were already walking away, past Cloud. Aeris motioned for him to follow. The blond nodded but waited a moment. Zax followed the others much slower, and stopped just after passing Cloud, so that their eyes couldn't meet.

"Come on. We'll see this to the end, and... figure out where to go from there. Ok?"

Cloud smiled and sent up a small thank you to any god willing to listen. "Yeah. That sounds good."

Zax nodded and started to walk again. Cloud turned to follow him, but stopped when he felt it. Faster than a lightning, gone almost before it was noticed. Zax stopped as well, and Cloud noticed from the corner of his eye that the others had turned to stare at them.

"What happened?" Tifa asked. Aeris was rubbing at her left temple, and took a few steps back towards Zax and Cloud.

"You two felt it too?" she asked, and Zax nodded. Cloud just lifted his scared eyes to them.

"She's still... here." The blond turned and started to walk to where they had last seen Jenova.

"Cloud!" Zax called out, and started to follow him. Another flash stopped him, and nearly brought Aeris to her knees. The members of Avalanche were hurrying towards Cloud and Zax, weapons ready. Yuffie stopped to help Aeris.

"She's laughing. She's-" the pink-clad girl winced as her knees gave out, and she fell to the ground. "She's not gone yet!"

Cloud had reached the spot, and could feel her presence. But she was dead. Gone. He was sure of that. The final summon had destroyed every last bit of her body.

Of _that_ body. Cloud felt dizzy when he realized it.

"Oh. Shit. Fuck. No. No no, shit no..." Zax's mutterings, growing in volume and anger behind him told Cloud that the Soldier had realized it as well.

/Don't worry, my little puppet.../ she had said, /I need you to live./ He hadn't understood her then, when she had been strangling the life out of him. But now it made sense. And Cloud realized that for the world to be rid of her, it had to be rid of him.

"Cloud... shit..." Zax was still swearing. Cloud turned to him and was surprised to see the Soldier crying. The man was trying to say something, but nothing came out of his opening and closing mouth.

"Once I have known her, I must die..." Cloud whispered softly. No one but Zax could hear him, and that was how he wanted it. The Soldier shook his head, trying to swallow his tears. "You... do care for me, after all?"

"Of course, you moron." Zax tried to grin and took a step closer. The members of Avalanche seemed to sense that the two needed some time alone, but the looks on their faces demanded answers. Cloud didn't care.

"Will you... kiss me, then, one last time?" Cloud was almost afraid to ask, but he felt he was entitled to one last request. Zax answered by grabbing him in a tight, almost bone-crushing hug, holding him so tight that Cloud felt he could just sink into the man's chest. He could feel tears in his own eyes now when he realized that that was exactly where he would be living, from now on.

Zax loosened his grip enough to tilt the blond back a bit, just enough to kiss him. Gently at first, but soon with more strength and desperation.

"I don't wanna let you go..." the Soldier whispered when they had to come up for air.

"...Thank you, Zax. I love you." Cloud said and pulled away. If he didn't do this now, he'd lose his courage.

Zax tried to hold on for a moment longer, but eventually let his arms drop to his sides. But his eyes never left Cloud's as the blond walked backwards towards the edge of the plateau. Lifestream glowed underneath, its strong stench enough to destroy all sense of smell.

"I love you too."

They smiled, one last time, as Cloud stepped off the stone, onto nothing.

* * *

What happened afterwards was like a movie he watched through a thick curtain. Even though Aeris healed all the wounds of his body, Zax felt broken, his grasp on reality severed. He fought with Avalanche as they made their way up from the Crater. The Highwind met them halfway through, which was good as the Lifestream was boiling beneath them. That was the only word Zax could use to describe it. Bursts of it shot towards the midnight skies, until it all seemed to rise into the air as one shining pillar. The Highwind barely made it out of the Crater before it, and was swept away with it, towards Midgar. People inside the airship were thrown around like small pebbles in a waterfall, and it was a true miracle that everyone was alive when Cid finally managed to steer the ship away from the flow.

They told him a Weapon was terrorizing Midgar, even after receiving a face full of ammo from the Sister Ray. They told him Rufus and his people were keeping the monster at bay, but with great costs. But with the Meteor in the sky and the stream of light rushing towards the city before them, Zax figured that a Weapon was the smallest of their worries.

Destroying Jenova had not stopped the Meteor. Aeris told them not to lose hope yet. She said that they'd come too far to lose hope now. She was sure that the Holy would do something.

Cid had eventually told everyone to tie themselves down tight to something sturdy, and had guided the Highwind back into the stream. They wanted to reach Midgar quickly, and this was, at least according to the pilot, the fastest and easiest way to do it. When asked about safety, he'd just said that that was why they had to tie themselves down.

Despite numerous suspicions, they reached Midgar in a matter of hours, and mostly in one piece. Meteor was hanging lower than ever, its belly almost scraping against the Shin-Ra HQ, which miraculously was still standing. Radio connections were down, so they had no way of knowing if anyone was still in the building, or even alive. Cid steered the ship well away from the pillars of wind and lightning that sucked in everything that came too close. The light streaming from the Crater was pillowing the Meteor's descend, but the fiery ball of stone was still falling, no matter how slowly.

"We have to do something, we can't let this happen to Midgar!" Barret had roared, frustrated. Nanaki had noted that they should be more worried about the Planet at this point. Aeris still held her firm belief in Holy's power. Others were ready to give up, when the miracle happened. It even roused Zax from his stupor.

First, it was just a small, shining light far down on the ground, but it grew fast, stretching into a long tendril which glowed green. Tifa noticed it first, and shouted in surprise. Everyone rushed to the closest window, and were soon spotting new tendrils growing out of the ground, stretching their way first up towards the skies, and then towards the Meteor. Soon enough, the ground was covered with a green, moving carpet. Tendrils grew together and their light shone stronger, as all of Midgar was covered, protected from the Meteor. The light grew stronger, brighter, and was soon too much to bear.

When they could see again, it was as dark as the hours just before morning were supposed to be. No red glow of the Meteor, no white light of the Holy. Just the Planet and the skies above it.

* * *

The sun rose a few hours later.

* * *

Midgar was a sorry sight; Hojo's creatures, the Weapon and Meteor had all wreaked havoc upon it, and despite that most people had left the city during the creature's attacks, many had stayed, had not been able to escape in time or had believed that they would die anyway, and were now lost in the rubble of collapsed houses. The plate had collapsed almost completely, the Shin-Ra HQ was barely standing.

Rufus surveyed his broken realm from the top of one of the houses still standing. When the sun had risen, he'd immediately called for the Soldiers and Shin-Ra personnel that had survived, and sent them out to look for survivors.

"B-b-b-but sir!" Palmer quivered, Heidegger at his heels, "We're Shin-Ra executives! What will the people think-"

"Maybe they'll finally accept us, you morons!" Rufus almost spat at the man. He was bandaged and bruised from when the Weapon had gotten too close for comfort. "Everyone's doing their share! Even Scarlet!" He pointed to the woman who stood on the street below them, overseeing some volunteers who were gathering food and water. Palmer and Heidegger stared, their chins dropping.

The red dress was gone, abandoned when she's worked with the cannon, replaced by old, blue overalls. The blonde hair was tied to a messy ponytail and her face was streaked with dirt. It must have been the first time either of the men had seen her looking anything but immaculate. She must have felt them staring, for she turned to glare at them.

"Stop staring and get to work!" She shrieked, and the two obeyed from sheer shock.

* * *

Bugenhagen started when the robot in the corner of his observatory suddenly came to life again. It had been days since the last time, and the old man had worried that something had happened to the man behind the machine.

"Humm, good morning, Cait Sith! And how is Midgar?"

The cat atop the mog straightened its crown and waved at the man. "In pieces, but most people had fled already. In a way, I suppose it's better this way. With Midgar gone, I mean. We all get a fresh start at things.

Bugenhagen nodded. "Yes, yes, just goes to show that all change is not bad, even if it would seem like that at first. Now we can make things right with the Planet."

The cat bobbed its head a few times before falling into nervous silence. After a moment it cleared its throat. "Umm, Elder Bugenhagen... is the Planet going to be all right now?"

The Elder smiled and floated to the robot. "My, I thought that you were the fortune teller here!"

"Oh, right, I forgot!" Cait Sith bowed, and the mog started its dance which ended with the fortune slip printing out. The cat took it, and Bugenhagen leaned closer curiously.

"Well?"

"It says: 'Today is a good day to start that new project'"

Bugenhagen laughed. "Well, that seems like a good fortune to me! Now, when you see Nanaki, could you tell him everything's all right at this end?"

* * *

Zax was ready to just lie down on the rubble and fall asleep. He'd gotten used to long, hard days already back in Soldier, but this was ridiculous.

Basically, anyone who was up and able was helping dig up the survivors and bodies. Everyone from slum dwellers to Shin-Ra executives did their share. The work wouldn't be over in a while yet.

"Sir! Sir, come quick!"

"No rest for the wicked," Zax muttered and turned to the man who was running towards him. He forced a tired smile on his face and lifted a hand in greeting. "What can I do for ya?"

"Sir, come quick! We found survivors!"

Zax started to run immediately after the man, racking his brain as to where the nearest medic would be. He realized he had no idea.

The man lead him a few hundred yards to where a group of volunteers were digging away at rubble from the top of a collapsed house. The men were shouting questions, and Zax thought he could hear muffled voices from the pile of rubble. When he got closer he realized to his surprise that some of the men were laughing.

The Soldier rushed to the diggers, and carefully leaned over to peek in the hole like the men were telling him to do.

Zax realized he was looking through a window into a toppled over house. On the opposite wall, which was now the floor, sat two men, playing cards. From the state of their undress, Zax presumed the game was strip poker.

Reno looked up when he heard a groan. The redhead's face lit up with a smile. "Oi! Zax! Took you guys long enough!"

* * *

It took a few days before they could spare an airship to retrieve Vincent and Mr. Holzoff from the Northern continent. The Crater had stopped spewing light out, but the area was still so unstable that they had managed to persuade even the old climber to leave his home. They'd dropped him off at Icicle Inn, and Vincent could only imagine the man's homecoming after so many years as the airship continued on towards Midgar.

The ex-Turk was nervous. Exhausted still, but nervous. He tried to sleep during the trip, but not knowing what would expect him once they reached the ruins of the city (he knew that much) kept him up and pacing around.

The sight of the city hit him harder than he had expected. He had never had much love for the place, but it had been a home, of sorts. Once upon a time. He didn't have much time to mull over his musings, though, as the airship landed.

He hadn't expected anyone to come and meet him. But there they were: Aeris, professor Gast, captain Highwind, Barret and his small daughter, Tifa, Yuffie, Nanaki and even Zax. He hadn't expected to see Cloud again, not after waking up on the night of the Holy, as it was already called, and feeling the connection between them, no matter how weak it had been, severed.

As Aeris wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug of welcome, Vincent hoped that Cloud was at peace, and that he himself might finally find peace as well.

* * *

For the first time in a long time, it was warm, whatever he was lying on was soft, and he was not hurting at all. Dying didn't seem to be such a bad thing after all.

Cloud opened his eyes and marveled at the clear blue sky above him. It wasn't exactly what he had been expecting, but it was better than the option, he figured, and closed his eyes. He was lying in soft, green grass, and now that he listened he could hear a stream nearby.

Not bad at all.

A rustle of cloth, and a soft laugh. Cloud opened his eyes again to see Ifalna leaning over him, a smile on her peaceful face.

"Hello, Cloud."

"Hello, Mrs. Ifalna."

She smiled and reached out to brush his hair out of his eyes. The soft fingers traced the side of his face, and stopped there for a moment. "The view is much nicer near the stream."

She held out her hand, and Cloud took it, allowing her to help him up.

"So... is this the Promised land?" Cloud asked after they'd walked a while on the grass.

"Almost. There's someone else we have to pick up, and then I can take you there."

"Oh? Who?" Cloud immediately thought she meant Zax, and was both happy and sad at the thought.

"You'll see." Ifalna lead him towards the sound of the stream. There was no hurry, the sun was bright and warm, the grass beneath their bare feet cool and soft.

The scenery started to look somewhat familiar to Cloud, and soon he realized he'd been here before. Years ago, during a car trip to Nibelheim. With Zax and Sephiroth. This grass area, the stream ahead, this was where he and Zax had sat fishing.

There was someone sitting by the stream now, but as soon as he came to view from behind a small rise, Cloud could tell it wasn't Zax. Tendrils of white, almost silvery hair trailed in a slight wind.

Cloud stopped dead in his tracks. "Sephiroth?"

The silver-haired man turned at the sound of his voice, although he must have heard or sensed them coming. He stood up and took a few steps towards them. He was still wearing his trademark black trousers and the long jacket, but he'd discarded his boots and gloves, and the various pieces of armour he'd worn previously. Cloud expected Ifalna to flee before he realized who exactly had delivered the blow that had killed her. The woman seemed to read his mind, she put a calming hand on his shoulder and smiled.

"Hello, Cloud. Mrs. Gainsborough." Sephiroth greeted them, and bowed a little. Ifalna curtsied. Cloud just stared.

"Hello Sephiroth. Caught anything yet?" Ifalna asked, and the blond only now noticed the fishing rod, near where Sephiroth had been sitting.

"No, but I believe it's because of my limited experience with fishing. Zackery once taught you to fish, didn't he?" the tall man turned his green eyes to Cloud, who nodded after a moment. "Well then, would you care to join me, for a moment?" He gestured towards the fishing rod. Cloud nodded again, no less hesitantly. Ifalna gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Once you're ready, you can just cross the stream." With that, she turned and walked into the water. It rose no higher at any point than her knees, and soon she was on the other side. Cloud and Sephiroth watched her go until she disappeared behind the grassy hill.

Sephiroth gestured towards the rod again, and Cloud followed him. Soon they were sitting side by side by the stream. Sephiroth's longer legs reached into the water. The rod lay between them, on the grass, the other end of the line in the clear water.

"Umm, so..." Cloud muttered after a while, staring at the water. Dying certainly hadn't made him any braver around the older man.

Sephiroth smiled a little. "I just wanted to talk with you for a while. To thank you. For being there for Zackery. And to apologize. For everything I put you through."

"It was Jenova, not you. She's dead now."

"I know. But if I had fought her harder, realized that she was using me, all of this wouldn't have had to happen." Sephiroth waved his hands, frustrated.

Cloud thought in silence for a moment before shrugging. "I forgive you. There's no use worrying about something you can't change anymore. So, I forgive you. For what you did to me. I can't speak for other people, though."

Sephiroth actually chuckled. "Thank you."

They sat in silence a while longer, until Cloud took a hold of the fishing rod. "You haven't caught anything yet?"

"Not even a cold."

"How long have you been sitting here?"

"Oh, for a while now. After she took my body, I woke up here. Now that it, and her, are gone, I'm good and well dead."

"And you still haven't caught anything?" Cloud smiled as the man shook his head. He'd been watching the water long enough to spot the problem Sephiroth had. He put the rod back down and leaned back, letting the sun's warm rays engulf him. "Well, to catch fish, the trick is to get them to relax. You gotta talk about whatever comes to mind, get them hooked on the conversation..."

Sephiroth took the fishing rod, leaned back as well, and relaxed.

-

* * *

A.N: I'm done. Took over three years. The end became incredibly sappy, but hey, they deserved a good ending. The fight scenes royally suck, sorry, my excuse is that I'm a pacifist ;)

Don't go away yet, stay tuned for our short feature of the day, The Epilogue!


	41. Epilogue

**Epilogue...**

**-**

Cloud yawned and gently tugged at the fishing rod, making the line grow tight momentarily. The sun was shining, making the early morning pleasantly warm. But even the sun didn't warm him as much as the knowledge that his wait was almost over.

Sephiroth, Meteor, Jenova... it all seemed so long ago, even if time seemed to move quite strangely in this land of blue skies and green grass. He'd kept something of a count of the days, months and years that had passed, but had not let the counting become the purpose of his dubious existence. That was, he supposed, one of the perks of being dead. He was aware of the time, but it didn't matter. He had all of it in the world. Not like he was going anywhere. Well, anywhere far, at least.

The sun was almost at its peak when he started to hear whistling. Cloud grinned and let the line grow slacker, the stream trying to tug the rod from his lazy grip.

The whistling became louder, and he knew that the source of it was already climbing up the hill at his back.

"Don't scare the fishes!" He called out, smiling, and the whistling stopped. Ignoring the rod in his hands, Cloud turned around and squinted against the bright rays of the sun. He looked up to the tall man behind him and cocked his head. "Took you long enough."

Zax smiled and ruffled his hair, sitting down next to the blond one. "Yeah, sorry. You know how it is, bumped into a few old friends, had things to take care of, the usual. Planet to save." The ex-Soldier winked, his violet eyes as bright as ever. The smile on his tanned face was pure and wide.

"Yeah, I figured as much." Cloud said and turned to the stream again, humming quietly. Zax followed his gaze.

"How are the fish biting?"

"Terribly."

"Heh, no wonder, in you just sit here quietly and all by yourself. You gotta catch their attention."

"I've had company, every now and then."

"Good." Zax smirked when the blond turned to look at him momentarily, smiling. "So how long exactly have you sat here, waiting?"

"Hmm, some sixty years. But who's counting, yeah?" Cloud answered matter-of-factly, shrugging his thin shoulders gently. Zax burst into laughter.

"Well you've certainly become more patient since we last met!"

Cloud chuckled at the words and shook his head. "Trust me, I haven't."

They sat in comfortable silence for a long while, gazing at the stream and the lush meadows on its other side. Cloud was almost disappointed when Zax broke the silence.

"Cloud... I've had a looong time to think about this, and I want to apologize. For the last few days."

"You don't have to. I mean, I wish things could have been different, but there's no changing the past. I did some horrible things."

"But it was them, Hojo and Jenova, who made you do them. I understood it a bit too late."

"You were mad then, and you had right to be. I'm not proud. But I wasn't happy about the way you treated me either. But I understood it. And forgave it. Can you forgive me?"

Zax nodded. "Already did, years back."

"And... you know that I had to die, right?" Cloud said more quietly, holding the rod tight.

"Yeah... missed you, tho."

"Ditto."

"So... are we cool now?"

Cloud actually giggled, and shook his head. "We're cool."

"Sweet." Zax said and grinned mischievously.

"So, tell me about the Planet. How's everything?" Cloud asked.

"Well, pretty good. Reactors are gone, and everything's so green! Yuffie's still the head of Wutai, and doing a good job at it, too. Her kids have pretty much settled down already, but the grandkids... ouch. Now that they're old enough to travel on their own, no nation is safe. Nanaki's taking care of business at the Canyon, and now that everything that the Meteor caused is pretty much healing, him and the Elders are looking out to the sea. They're saying that there's gotta be more continents over there. I mean, Cid even saw some on his later trips to space. Maybe he even landed on one eventually, since no one heard of him after the Highwind 7 disappeared."

Cloud shook his head, smiling a bit sadly. "Nah, there was a critical malfunction deep in space. They all got to join the stars. He came by here over forty years ago, but soon went across. Swearing because Shera was too busy with Reeve and all the presidential business to check his rockets."

Zax laughed. "Good to know some things never change."

"Yeah... so how about the others?"

"Ah, well. Marlene is staying at Mideel now, still doin' fine. Barret raised her well with Tifa's help. I mean, they never married, but it was obvious they considered each other family. Oh, but you should SEE the latest addition to the Valentine-Gainsborough clan! She looks JUST like Sephy, it's uncanny!"

Cloud shook his head, smirking. "Vincent and Aeris? I mean, I'd heard about it, but that one I'd like to see myself."

"Yeah, well they eventually became very happy. And they're still out there, spoiling grandkids rotten. Even named one after yours truly." Zax stuck his chest out, making Cloud laugh.

"Don't tell me the poor kid takes after you?"

"Nah, just a bit. Let's see, did I miss anyone. Well Reeve and Shera, they made a good couple too. Helped build Midgar into something better for everyone. Like a frickin' fairy tale. Their kid is doing ok, but a hell of a workaholic. I've never seen anyone as bad as he is. Well, kid and kid, he's over fifty already. I feel so old..." he looked down at his young body, hair dark brown and spiky again. "It got a bit lonely towards the end, with only Yuffie and Nanaki out there of those who knew everything. Vinnie and Aeris live far up at Icicle Inn, I didn't go there often. And Marlene, of course. She wrote a book about it all, and mostly Barret, but never published it. Let us read it, though. She said it was done for her kids, and for the others, too, so that they'd know what their parents lived through. I mean, most things were kept a secret from the larger audience."

"Would have just made things more complicated." Cloud commented and yawned. The sun had moved to the west, and was starting to shine into their eyes.

Zax laid down on the tall grass, staring at the bright blue sky. "All's well that ends well."

"Yeah..." Cloud muttered and chuckled. "Nice end, don't you think? 'And they all found their Promised Lands.'"

"Has a nice ring to it. Us, too?" Zax turned to his stomach and plucked a long piece of hay, tickling Cloud's cheek with it. The blond tried to get away from the teasing, but not too seriously.

"Well it's just over this stream, you know? Didn't want to go alone."

"Thanks for waiting."

"Yeah. I feel ready now."

"Ah, give us just a few more moments at staring at the sun, ok?" The ex-Soldier turned to his back again and started to chew on the hay. Cloud nodded.

"Sure."

"So what are you using for bait, anyway?" Zax asked when the clear blue sky stopped entertaining him after just a few short minutes.

"Nothing."

"What, just an empty hook?" He sat up and tried to reach for the thin line, but Cloud turned the rod away from him.

"Not even that. I tied a small rock to the line."

The answer baffled Zax completely. "... why?"

"Well, no sense wasting hooks and bait when there are no fish in the stream..."

"Cloudy, you're... weird."

"I love you too." Cloud smirked and carefully put the rod between a few fist-sized rocks he'd collected over the years, to rest his hands. He stood up then and stretched, joints popping loudly. Zax looked up to him, smiling with pure love in his eyes as the smaller man reached a hand out to him. "You coming?"

"Wouldn't miss this for the world, baby."


End file.
